Govt allows CBI to probe ex coal secy HC Gupta in Coalgate

The government has approved questioning of HC Gupta, former coal secretary in connection to coal allocation scam or coalgate.

Gupta along with a few coal ministry officials will be interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on being instrumental in allocating coal to private coal companies between 2006-09 when he was the coal secretary and also a member of the screening committee that allotted coal mines to private players.

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The CBI has till now registered 11 complaints related to alleged irregularities in the allotment coal blocks between 2006 and 2009. During this period, over 65 coal blocks were allotted to 150 companies and files of some of them had gone missing. The agency has already interrogated former Union Ministers Santosh Bagrodia and D Narayan Rao and Congress MP in Rajya Sabha in the case.