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| Indian Court Summons Manmohan Singh, Ex-Premier, in Corruption Case | Indian Court Summons Manmohan Singh, Ex-Premier, in Corruption Case |
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| NEW DELHI — An Indian court on Wednesday summoned Manmohan Singh, India’s soft-spoken former prime minister, as one of the accused in an investigation into the illegal allocation of coal fields to Indian corporations. | NEW DELHI — An Indian court on Wednesday summoned Manmohan Singh, India’s soft-spoken former prime minister, as one of the accused in an investigation into the illegal allocation of coal fields to Indian corporations. |
| Three years ago, India’s government auditor accused the Coal Ministry of selling around 200 coal field leases to private steel, cement and power companies at artificially low prices, saying that the nontransparent process had cost the government about $30 billion. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the process had broken the law, and it overturned most of the allocations. | Three years ago, India’s government auditor accused the Coal Ministry of selling around 200 coal field leases to private steel, cement and power companies at artificially low prices, saying that the nontransparent process had cost the government about $30 billion. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the process had broken the law, and it overturned most of the allocations. |
| The case, known as Coalgate here, has been particularly damaging for Mr. Singh, an economist with a reputation for probity who was credited with ushering in a period of free-market liberalization in the 1990s, when he was finance minister. Mr. Singh, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2014, has not been charged with any crime but is under investigation on suspicion of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust, among other offenses, the Press Trust of India reported. | The case, known as Coalgate here, has been particularly damaging for Mr. Singh, an economist with a reputation for probity who was credited with ushering in a period of free-market liberalization in the 1990s, when he was finance minister. Mr. Singh, who was prime minister from 2004 to 2014, has not been charged with any crime but is under investigation on suspicion of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust, among other offenses, the Press Trust of India reported. |
| Mr. Singh said on Wednesday that he was “sure truth would prevail” and that he was ready to put his case forward. | Mr. Singh said on Wednesday that he was “sure truth would prevail” and that he was ready to put his case forward. |
| “I have always said I am open for legal scrutiny,” he said in comments broadcast by the news channel NDTV. “Of course I am upset, but this is part of life.” | |
| The summons is in connection with a coal field allocated in 2005 to Hindalco Industries, a leading producer of primary aluminum, during a period when Mr. Singh was in charge of the Coal Ministry. At the time, Mr. Singh said his decision to award the coal lease was “entirely appropriate.” Hindalco has denied any wrongdoing. | The summons is in connection with a coal field allocated in 2005 to Hindalco Industries, a leading producer of primary aluminum, during a period when Mr. Singh was in charge of the Coal Ministry. At the time, Mr. Singh said his decision to award the coal lease was “entirely appropriate.” Hindalco has denied any wrongdoing. |
| Hindalco’s chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, has been summoned to appear on the same day as Mr. Singh, Reuters reported. | Hindalco’s chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, has been summoned to appear on the same day as Mr. Singh, Reuters reported. |
| Allegations of corruption cast a shadow over the second term of the United Progressive Alliance coalition government, led by the Indian National Congress party of Mr. Singh, and set the stage for the sweeping electoral victory last year by the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kapil Sibal, a senior Congress leader, told reporters that the party would “defend Manmohan Singh with all our might.” | |
| “I don’t think anyone in India believes that Manmohan Singh can do something wrong or corrupt,” he said. “He was extremely cautious, and he always wanted to be on the right side of the law. Now he finds himself summoned.” | “I don’t think anyone in India believes that Manmohan Singh can do something wrong or corrupt,” he said. “He was extremely cautious, and he always wanted to be on the right side of the law. Now he finds himself summoned.” |
| Prakash Javadekar, the Indian environment minister, said the summons was “yet another blot on Congress.” | Prakash Javadekar, the Indian environment minister, said the summons was “yet another blot on Congress.” |