Mumbai: In a new twist to the ongoing probe into Dabhol power project fiasco, the Centre on February 7 filed "secret" documents before the Commission of inquiry headed by Justice S P Kurdukar and sought time to reply to objections raised on its claim for classifying them as "privileged".

In view of this development, the Commission deferred to March 13 its ruling on jurisdiction to hear matters pertaining to Central approvals for the multi-crore Dabhol power project.

The Centre also filed a short affidavit affirmed by Joint Secretary to Power ministry Anil Kumar Kutty saying that he was authorised to file a say in the matter.

The Commission has asked all the concerned parties to file on February 17 their objections to the Centre's affidavit and its claim on seeking privilege on secret documents. The Centre has been asked to reply to these objections on March 3.

Justice Kurdukar, conducting the probe, had earlier reserved his order until today on the jurisdiction issue after hearing counsel for the Union government, state government and various other respondents.

The Commission, headed by retired Supreme Court judge S P Kurdukar, was set up on November 7, 2001, by the state government to go into the validity of power purchase agreement (PPA), the circumstances in which it was negotiated, cancelled and re-negotiated and the role played by various persons in decision making. It will also probe the circumstances in which phase two of the project was made binding.

The Centre has opposed the jurisdiction of Enron probe Commission to inquire into the executive decisions taken by the Centre under various Central statutes.

PTI