File photo of Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was "aware of everything" in the process of allocating a coal block to Naveen Jindal group firm, ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda told a special court today.
Mr Koda, who sought summoning of the former prime minister as an accused, said if there was any conspiracy in the allocation of Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block, it could not have been done without the knowledge of Manmohan Singh who was also the coal minister then.
"The coal minister (Manmohan Singh) was aware of everything and if at all there was a conspiracy, it was not possible without his knowledge," Mr Koda's counsel told Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar.
He said that according to the CBI, then minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, who is also an accused in the case, wanted the coal block to be allocated to Jindal group, but "actually the man behind this was then prime minister who approved it ".
Public prosecutor V K Sharma would respond to the arguments of Mr Koda's counsel tomorrow.
Mr Koda, in his plea, has sought to summon Mr Singh as an accused along with Anand Swaroop, the then secretary (Energy) and Jai Shankar Tiwari, then secretary(Mines and Geology).
The case relates to alleged irregularities in allocation of Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block to two Jindal group companies, Jindal Steel and Power Ltd and Gagan Sponge Iron Pvt Ltd.
The CBI has chargesheeted Mr Koda, Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal and 13 others in the case.