The CBI has registered a fresh case against Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Gagan Sponge and two other companies in the coal scam. The accused include former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao and Congress MP Naveen Jindal.

The FIR has charged Jindal and his company with misrepresentation of facts and concealing previous allotments. They are also charged with cheating and forgery. This is the 12th FIR filed in the scam.

According to CBI sources, after registering the fresh cases, teams carried out searches at 15 locations including the residence of Jindal in New Delhi and Rao at Hyderabad.

The BJP today demanded that the government should hand over files related to the coal scam to the CBI. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar asked the government to allow the CBI to interrogate former Coal Secretary H C Gupta. He also said the investigating agency should be allowed to probe the role of the Prime Minister’s Office in coal blocks allocation as Dr Manmohan Singh was in charge of Coal Ministry.

On CBI raids on Congress MP Navin Jindal, Mr Javadekar demanded the CBI should go for money trail in the scam.