India court criticises coal scandal probe report

The opposition has demanded the resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar

India's Supreme Court has accused the government of interfering in a federal investigation into a coal scandal said to have cost India billions of dollars.

Judges expressed concern that senior government figures had met Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials to suggest changes to its report.

The court said the CBI had become a "caged parrot speaking in the master's voice", Press Trust of India reports.

India lost $210bn (£134bn) by selling off coalfields cheaply, auditors say.

The CBI admitted to the court last month that it had shared the confidential draft probe report with the government before submitting it to the court.

Outraged opposition parties have been demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Law Minister Ashwani Kumar resign for trying to influence the investigation.

Mr Singh denies any wrongdoing in the scandal and has refused to quit.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court judges examined a nine-page affidavit submitted by the CBI outlining the changes that were made after the report was shown to Mr Kumar and others.

The court said the CBI was supposed to "interrogate to find out the truth" and not to "interact with government officials".

The CBI has said the report was shared with Attorney General GE Vahanvati, former Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval, officials in the coal ministry and the prime minister's office and the law minister.

The agency has said that no names were deleted and no substantial change was made to the report.

Correspondents say the controversy has raised questions over the independence of India's leading investigation agency when it looks into scandals involving government ministers and officials.

The report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) into the sale of coalfields said private and state companies had benefited from the allocations between 2004 and 2010.

Opposition politicians accused the government of "looting the country" by selling coalfields to companies without competitive bidding.

The Congress-led government has been beset by corruption scandals. General elections are due next year.