File photo of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh will move the Supreme Court next week to quash the order of the special CBI court that had ordered him to appear on April 8 in connection with a coal scam case, sources have told NDTV.
Former law minister Kapil Sibal and noted criminal lawyer KTS Tulsi will represent Dr Singh in the top court, sources added.
On March 11, the special CBI court had summoned Dr Singh along with five others including industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and the former coal secretary PC Parakh in a case involving the allocation of Odisha's Talabira coal blocks in 2005 to Hindalco, a Birla group company.
Asking for a trial under charges of "criminal conspiracy and breach of trust," the special CBI court in its 75-page order held that the Prime Minister's office showed "undue interest" after a meeting between Dr Singh and KM Birla.
Interestingly, the court's decision to summon Dr Singh came despite the special prosecutor telling the CBI court that "there was no prosecutable evidence against Dr Singh."
Reacting to the order, last week, Dr Singh told NDTV, "I respect the judicial process of this country. I hope in any fair trial I will be able to establish my total innocence."