Court defers hearing in coal case against Manmohan Singh

New Delhi, April 8: A court here on Wednesday deferred hearing in the coal block allocation case in which former prime minister Manmohan Singh was summoned to July 15.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar deferred the hearing after it was informed that the Supreme Court on April 1 put on hold the summons issued by a special court in connection with the allocation of 15 percent share in the Talabira II coal block to Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Hindalco.

An apex court has also issued notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a batch of petitions challenging the March 11 order and also stayed further proceedings in the matter.

The court has also put on hold the summons against industrialist Birla, former coal secretary PC Parakh, D Bhattacharya and Hindalco.

Manmohan Singh moved the apex court on March 25, challenging the summons issued by trial court on March 11 over the allocation of Talabira II coal block in Odisha to Birla-owned Hindalco in 2005.

The court summoned Manmohan Singh, Birla and Parakh after it rejected closure report filed by the CBI.

IANS