April 25, 2024 05:30 (IST)
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CBI drops charges against Kumar Mangalam Birla in "Coalgate" case
New Delhi, Aug 29 (IBNS) Prominent industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) decided to drop charges against him in the infamous "Coalgate" scandal.
According to media sources, the central investigation agency filed its closure report on KM Birla and 11 others in the Supreme Court on Thursday.
Media reported that the CBI in its report has said that it has found "no evidence of criminality" against the Chairman of Aditya Birla Group.
Kumar Mangalam was in the midst of the scandal after allegations were leveled that he colluded with a former top coal ministry bureaucrat, PC Parkah, to illicitly land a coal block for Hindalco, part of the $40 billion Aditya Birla Group.
The case against Birla and Parakh, who retired as Coal Secretary, was filed last year.
The agency had registered a first information report in October 2013 against the industrialist.
The incident sparked a big controversy. Industry leaders condemned the fact and termed the allegations against Birla baseless.
But, the incident was finally put to rest on Friday with the CBI dropping charges against him giving the entrepreneur a clean chit.
It has been learnt that CBI has said, it would like to end its investigation against KM Birla. Along with Kumar Mangalam, the agency also gave clean-chit to PC Parakh and 10 others.
The Supreme Court will hear the matter on Monday next. It will also decide whether to cancel the coal licenses, or to impose some sort of penalty.
Earlier, the top court on last Monday in a landmark judgement quashed the allocation of more than 200 coal blocks by different governments since 1993 by terming them "illegal".
The court has ruled, "No system was followed while deciding the allocations. It was all arbitrary and based on favouritism."
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