New Delhi, Oct 13 (IANS): A special court here Monday postponed hearing on a closure report filed before it by the CBI in a coal block allocation case against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and others.

Special Judge Bharat Parashar posted the hearing for Oct 21 after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sought time for advancing further arguments on the closure report.

The court, during the last hearing, sought clarification from the investigating agency whether an element of criminality was involved while allocating the coal blocks to Kumar Mangalam Birla-promoted Hindalco.

The CBI booked Birla, former coal secretary P.C. Parakh and others on charges of criminal conspiracy and corruption in the allocation of coal blocks in October 2013.

It filed a closure report in the case Aug 28, saying: "The evidence collected during investigation did not substantiate the allegations levelled against the people named in the FIR."