CBI: Minister made changes

• Names PMO and coal ministry officials involved
• CBI's findings were deleted, while making 4 changes l Says the central theme of the Report was not changed; nor any suspect was let offA
• Govt to take a call on Ashwani Kumar on May 8
• Oppn demands Ashwani Kumar's resignation

Anita Saluja New Delhi: CBI Director Ranjit Sinha on Monday blew the lid off the government defence on tampering with the CBI Status Report on Coalgate. In its affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, it pointed out that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar, PMO Joint Secretary Shatrughan Sinha and Coal Ministry Joint Secretary A K Bhalla were responsible not only for vetting the Status Reports but also for making four changes in it. The court posted the next hearing on May 8. The affidavit further said that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar also deleted a sentence about scope of the inquiry, with respect to legality of allocation, while the amendments in law were under process. However, the affidavit said the central theme of the Status Reports had not been changed post-meetings. There was no deletion of any evidence against any suspect or accused, nor were they let off. The CBI affidavit stated that the "tentative finding about non-existence of a system regarding allocation of specific weightage/points was deleted at the instance of PMO and Ministry of Coal". The other tentative finding about non-preparation of broadsheets or charts by the Screening Committee was deleted by Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. However, the CBI Director went on to defend the move, saying that since both these changes pertained to the tentative findings of the CBI, which would be arrived at with further clarity on more inquiries, the same were found acceptable. In its nine-page affidavit, the CBI stated, "A meeting was held with Shatrughan Sinha, Joint Secretary in the PMO and A K Bhalla, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Coal, in the chamber of O P Malhotra, Joint Director, CBI, at the request of Shatrughan Sinha. I submit before this Hon'ble Court that regular interaction continues between my officers and said officials in the Ministry of Coal and the PMO with regard to the ongoing inquiry." The affidavit goes on to confirm that these officials were coordinating with CBI officers in the production of requisite files, documents, information and clarifications to CBI. "Both these officials went through the draft Status Reports pertaining to Preliminary Enquiry (PE) 2 and PE 4. Next day, on 7 March, 2013, they suggested amendments in a paragraph (later numbered as 2.8) of PE 4," it stated. The CBI Joint Director kept the CBI Director informed on all these developments. All the draft reports were compiled after confirming their factual accuracy and proper formatting. The same were again put up to the CBI Director and finally vetted and approved by him on March 7, before filing the same in a sealed cover to the Supreme Court. The silver-lining for the government is that in response to the specific clarifications sought by the Supreme Court on April 30, the CBI Director, in his affidavit, claimed, "It is submitted that sharing of the Status Reports with the persons mentioned above, and the consequent changes therein, have neither altered the central theme of the Report nor shifted the focus of inquiries and investigations in any manner. It is also submitted that no names of the suspect or accused were removed from the Status Reports and also that no suspect or accused were let off in the process." Soon after the CBI filed its affidavit, Law Minister Ashwani Kumar met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apprise him of the situation. Ashwani Kumar is understood to have expressed the confidence that he will come clean on this issue. External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said, "Why cannot the Law Minister consult investigative agencies to whom he provides service of law officers? The government may have been under the scanner but we have a right to find out what's happening." "Ministers speak to officials from time to time. We respect both professional as well as legal limits of such interactions," he said.