Coal block case: Manmohan Singh 'upset' on summon, but 'truth will prevail'

Extremely upset with the summons issued to him in connection with the coal blocks allocation scam, former prime minister Manmohan Singh has said truth will prevail in the case.

"Of course, I am upset, but this is a part of life. I am sure that truth will prevail and I will get a chance to put forward my case with facts," he told the media in Parliament.

Earlier in the day, a special CBI court summoned the former prime minister as an accused in a coal scam case. Former coal secretary PC Parakh and four others were also summoned as accused.

The court has issued the summons on offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

All the accused have been asked to appear before the court on April 8.

In September 2005, Parakh recommended the allocation of the Talabira-II and Talabira-III coal blocks jointly to three companies. Singh, the then prime minister, who was holding the additional charge of the Coal Ministry, had approved the proposal in October the same year.

CBI had in October 2013 filed an FIR in which it named Parakh for criminal conspiracy and criminal misconduct but filed its closure report in the case in August 2014, citing lack of evidence of wrongdoing against the former coal secretary.

However, the Supreme Court a month later pulled up the investigating agency for being in a hurry to close the case. CBI then filed its revised report in October.

Later in November, CBI said it has enough material on record to take cognisance of the offences. However, the court asked the agency as to why the former prime minister was not examined and in December directed the agency to record Singh's statement.

In January this year, CBI presented its status report after recording the statements of the former prime minister and his aides. It sought two weeks to complete its investigation.