New Delhi: A special court has summoned former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as accused in a coal scam case on April 8, 2015.

Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary PC Parakh and three others were also summoned as accused by the court.

The court has summonned them for offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust and under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case pertains to allocation of Talabira II coal block in Orissa to M/s Hindalco in 2005.

"Congress has faced these challenges in the past, we will be vindicated in the final analysis," Manish Tewari told Times Now on the court's decision to issue summons to former PM Manmohan Singh in the Hindalco case.

The CBI, in its FIR, had named Parakh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, M/s Hindalco Industries Ltd and other unknown persons for the offences under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

However, later, the agency had filed a closure report in the court which had refused to accept it.

The court, in its December 16 order, had directed the agency to examine Manmohan Singh and some top PMO officials, including Singh's then principal secretary T K A Nair and then private secretary B V R Subramanyam.

Parakh and Hindalco have denied any wrongdoing.

TOI/LY