5 coalgate firms under CBI scanner

One of them belongs to Congress MP Vijay Darda

As the coalgate controversy continued to rage, the CBI on Tuesday registered cases against five private companies, their representatives and unidentified public servants in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks.

The agency named Congress MP Vijay Darda and his brother Rajendra Darda, a Maharashtra minister, in one of the First Information Reports (FIRs). After registering the FIRs, the central probe agency raided nearly 30 places in 11 cities across the country and collected “incriminating evidence against the companies”, which, according to the CBI, “made false claims” to acquire coal blocks. Many premises of private companies and government officials were raided by CBI sleuths in Delhi, Mumbai, Patna, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Dhanbad, Raipur, Yavatmal, Ranchi and Bhilai.

The country’s premier investigative agency booked the companies three months after registering a Preliminary Enquiry “to examine irregularities, if any, in the allocation of coal blocks during  the period 2006-09” on a reference from Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in June this year.

The companies and their representatives that have been named by the agency in FIRs include AMR Iron & Steel Private Limited based in Nagpur and its directors Arvind Kumar Jayaswal, Manoj Jayaswal, Ramesh Jayaswal and Devendra Darda.

Another company booked by the CBI — JLD Yavatmal Energy Limited, also based in Nagpur — has Congress MP Darda as one of its directors. The other directors of the company named by the agency include Rajendra Darda, Devendra Darda, Manoj Jayaswal, Anand Jayaswal and Abhishek Jayaswal. Vini Iron & Steel Udyog Limited based in Kolkata is another company that has been booked by the investigating agency.

The company officials named CBI in the FIR included its directors – Sanjeev Kumar Tulsyan,  Prashant Tulsyan, Vaibhav Tulsyan, Nisha Tulsyan, Vimal Kumar Tulsyan, Nirmala Tulsyan, Hemant Kumar Aggarwal and Navin Kumar Tulsyan, Chartered Accountant of the company.

However, Vaibhav Tulsyan, whose office and home were also raided by CBI officials, claimed he had sold the company to a close aide of the then Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda.

“I do not know why the searches are taking place at my office and home. I have sold the company five months before coal block allocations. I was not the beneficiary allottee. My only fault was that I was the applicant for coal blocks.

“Because of Naxal problem, we were not able to run the company, so when Vijay Joshi, who was close aide of former chief minister Madhu Koda, approached us with a good offer, we sold the company to him. At the time coal block allocation, the company was already with Joshi,” Tulsyan told PTI. Vini Iron & Steel Udyog Limited was given Rajhara North coal block in Jharkhand for the extraction of mineral. Tulsyan was one of the directors when the application was moved for coal block allocation and he was the signatory on the application.

Other companies and their representatives booked by CBI include - JAS Infrastructure Capital Private Ltd based in Kolkata and its directors - Manoj Kumar Jayaswal, Abhishek Jayaswal, and Anand Jayaswal and Navbharat Power Private Limited, a Hyderabad based company and its directors - P Trivikrama Prasad and Y Harish Chandra Prasad.

BJP continues offensive

Even after CBI, probing the matter registered cases in the issue, the main opposition party – BJP continued its attack on the Congress and its leaders.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj alleged involvement of various Congress leaders in the controversy as she said that "coal block has been allocated to Naveen Jindal. Congress leaders like Subodh Kant Sahay and Moti Lal Vohra had given their recommendation to private parties".

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar reiterated that Prime Minister should resign since he as coal minister had signed on each allotments that are under agency scanner.