Supreme Court Closes Coal Block Allocation Case Against Former PM Manmohan Singh

'We are satisfied that there were no compelling reasons for the learned sessions judge to turn down the closure reports by the CBI and to take cognizance.'

The Wire Staff

'We are satisfied that there were no compelling reasons for the learned sessions judge to turn down the closure reports by the CBI and to take cognizance.'

supreme court closes coal block allocation case against former pm manmohan singh

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Photo: X/@anwaribrahim

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today (July 29) accepted the decision of the Central Bureau of Investigation to close the case against former prime minister, the late Manmohan Singh, in connection to a coal scam.

Singh passed away in December 2024. Reports said that the apex court decided to examine the legality of the trial court's order because it contained adverse observations against him.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana said there were no compelling reasons for the trial court to reject CBI's closure report, Bar and Bench reported.

LiveLaw reported that the court allowed Singh's appeal challenging the summons issued to him by a trial court in 2015 in the case, accepted the CBI's closure reports giving him a clean chit, and closed the proceedings.

“We are satisfied that there were no compelling reasons for the learned sessions judge to turn down the closure reports by the CBI and to take cognizance. Consequently, we allow the SLP [special leave petition] and set aside the impugned orders of the learned special judge and as a result thereto accept the closure reports filed by the CBI and close the matter on merits," the apex court said in its order, according to Bar and Bench.

Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the former prime minister.

On April 1, 2015, the Supreme Court had stayed summons issued to Singh in the case over the allocation of coal blocks to Hindalco against the recommendation of a screening committee.

A special court had, nonetheless, issued summons to Singh despite two closure reports filed by the CBI in the case.

The apex court said that the special judge had "failed to apply the settled principles governing acceptance of closure reports filed by investigating agencies."

This article went live on July twenty-ninth, two thousand twenty six, at eight minutes past three in the afternoon.

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