No officer probing coal block cases to be transferred without permission: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday reiterated that no investigating officer associated with the probe of coal block allocation scam cases would be transferred or repatriation to parent cadres without its permission.

A bench headed by Justice Deepak Gupta, however, allowed a plea by some supervisory officers in Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for repatriation to parent cadres. The court said that the officers shall be replaced by officers of the same rank.

The court had, in July 2017, said officers of CBI and ED probing the cases cannot be transferred without its prior approval.

Senior advocate RS Cheema pleaded before the bench to relieve him from the special public prosecutor for ED in the coal scam cases.

Cheema said there were 20 complaints (charge sheets) before the court and cognisance was taken only in only for so far. He attributed the problems to lack of prosecutors and personnel needed to handle the cases.

The advocate has been a special public prosecutor for the ED since 2014 and has only one prosecutor to assist him in the case.

The apex court declined to pass the order on Cheema's application and said it will consider the plea in December.

During the hearing, the Court was informed that CBI has filed 33 charge sheets and judgements have been delivered only in six in the coal scam cases.

( With inputs from ANI )