Coal block: Court asks CBI why Manmohan Singh not examined

New Delhi, Nov 25: A special court hearing a coal block allocation case, involving industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Tuesday asked the CBI why former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who held coal portfolio at that time, was not examined during the probe. When Special Judge Bharat Parashar asked the investigating officer (IO) if officials at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and the then coal minister were examined, the officer said some PMO officials were examined but the then coal minister was not. The court then asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) why the minister was not examined and did the agency not think his examination was necessary. The IO told the court that it was found that his examination was not necessary. He added the CBI was not granted permission to quiz him. The court asked the CBI to bring the case diary and posted the matter for Nov 27 for hearing. The court was hearing the closure report in a coal block allocation case involving Kumar Mangalam Birla and others which was filed last month.