AAP DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF PRIME MINISTER, LAW MINISTER, ATTORNEY GENERAL AND PMO OFFICIALS

• Demands setting up of SIT for investigating into Coal Gate Scam

Media has today reported that in the controversial Coalgate scam which is being investigated by CBI currently, the Government had vetted the status report before it was filed by the CBI in the Supreme Court.

In the last hearing held on March 12, Prashant Bhushan had made the plea that since the investigation of the Coalgate scam involves inquiring into the role of Prime Minister and other Cabinet Ministers, therefore CBI would not be able to investigate into it independently because it is directly controlled by them. The petition in the case has been filed by Prashant Bhushan on behalf of Centre for Public Interest Litigation and Common Cause.

The CBI had filed the status report the previous day of the hearing. On this, the court observed that we hope that the CBI is not sharing the reports with the government. On this, Attorney General Vahanvati representing the Government stated that even he had not seen the status report, what to say of the Government. Interestingly, the Court asked the CBI Director Ranjit Sinha to file his own affidavit stating that the status report has not be shared and would not be shared with the government.

It now transpires from the Indian Express report that not only was the status report shared with the Law Minister and PMO but the report had been diluted at their instance.

However, what the Express report does not mention is the reported fact that the Attorney General was himself present in this meeting at the Law Minster’s office, where this report was discussed and diluted. Also, what this report does not mention is the fact that the DIG of the CBI who was incharge of this investigation, Ravikant was transferred out of the CBI soon after the last hearing was held in the Supreme Court.

All this shows, why the government is not willing to let go of their control of the CBI at any cost because an independent CBI under an independent Lokpal would result in more than half of present cabinet going to jail and prevent the Government from pressurising the leader of various parties by alternately pushing and soft peddling CBI investigations against them.

This brazen interference in the Coalgate investigation by this government, an investigation being currently monitored by the Supreme Court shows the desperation of this government and requires the immediate sacking of the Law Minister and the Attorney General, apart from officials of the PMO. In fact, it requires the resignation of the PM himself. In any case, these facts make out an unanswerable case for an independent SIT in the Coalgate scam. Aam Aadmi Party demands setting up of SIT for investigating the allegations made against various Ministers including PM in the Coalgate scam. We also once again demand that the CBI should be made independent of the Government by placing it under an independent Lokpal in the manner proposed in the Jan Lokpal Bill.