Coal scam: CBI questions Jayaswal brothers

The CBI today questioned Jayaswal brothers--Arvind and Manoj, Directors of AMR Iron and Steel, who have been named in the FIRs filed by the agency in connection with the probe in the coal allocation scam.

In a related development with the probe, the agency has recommended extension of tenure of DIG Ravi Kant, an Orissa cadre 1998-batch IPS officer 1998, who is supervising the coal scam probe, CBI sources said.

They said Arvind Jayaswal appeared before the agency in the morning along with Abhishek Jayaswal, son of Manoj, but the sleuths sent the latter back as he was not called for questioning today.

Manoj Jayaswal also arrived at the CBI Headquarters late evening and was questioned by the sleuths along with his brother Arvind, they said.

Manoj along with his brother Arvind has been named by the agency in its FIR in which it alleged that AMR Iron and Steel concealed and misrepresented facts that its group firms were already allocated coal blocks and that it was financially eligible to get the block.

He is also named in two other FIRs filed by the agency against JLD Yavatmal and JAS Infrastructure, they said.

The attempts to contact AMR group did not fructify.

They said Jayaswal was questioned in connection with allegations that the company in order to prove financial eligibility to acquire the block fraudulently claimed that it was a special purpose vehicle of Lokmat Group and ILFS.

It also claimed the combined networth of "proposed" vehicle as that of the company's, they said.

Lokmat Group chief Congress MP Vijay Darda, who is also named in one of the CBI FIRs, has refuted all allegations against him.