Coal scam: SC asks Registry to send documents to special bench

The CJI-headed bench had earlier ordered sealing of the visitors' log-book which was provided by lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench, which as to decide on a plea whether copy of visitors' diary of former CBI chief Ranjit Sinha can be given to the court-appointed panel, on Friday refused to pass any order but asked the Registry to send the documents to the special bench hearing coal matters.

"We will not be doing anything in the matter," a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said.

The CJI-headed bench, which hears the 2G scam cases, had earlier ordered sealing of the visitors' log-book which was provided by lawyer Prashant Bhushan.

The other three-judge bench, which hears the coal scam cases, had said it would be appropriate that the CJI-headed bench decides whether the court appointed M L Sharma panel can be parted with the sealed diary or not.

During the hearing today, the CJI headed bench, which also comprised Justices Shiva Kirti Singh and Amitava Roy said, "Registry is directed to send back the sealed covers to the Bench dealing with the matter forthwith. The contentions of Vikas Singh, senior counsel, and Prashant Bhushan, counsel are kept open to be argued before that Bench".

Earlier, the apex court had agreed to hear a plea filed by Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) seeking clarification on whether it could share the confidential reports on coal scam with former CBI officier M L Sharma who is probing the meetings former agency chief Ranjit Sinha had in his official residence.

Sharma was appointed by the apex court to probe whether the meetings of Ranjit Sinha with the accused in coal block allocation scam had impacted the probe or their final outcome. It had on September 14 allowed Sharma to access whatever records he felt necessary for the purposes of inquiry.

After court's directions, Sharma had asked the CVC to make available to him its comments on the CBI's probe in each of the 254 coal blocks allocation.

He had also urged the CVC to provide him the correspondence that might have been exchanged between it and the CBI on the subject.

The reports sought by Sharma from the CVC includes some information which the anti-corruption watchdog had submitted to the apex court in a sealed cover after scrutinising the CBI probe into each of 254 coal blocks allocation.