Supreme Court Clears Late Manmohan Singh in Coal Block Allocation Case, Quashes 2015 Trial Court Order

New Delhi, July 2026 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday formally cleared former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh of all allegations in the coal block allocation case, setting aside a 2015 Special CBI Court order that had summoned him to face trial despite the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filing closure reports giving him a clean chit.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana ruled that the trial court had erred in rejecting the CBI’s closure reports without sufficient legal justification. The apex court held that there were no cogent reasons to discard the investigating agency’s findings and proceed against the late Prime Minister under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Allowing Dr. Singh’s appeal, the Bench quashed the March 11, 2015 order passed by the Special Judge at Patiala House Courts, which had rejected the CBI’s conclusions and taken cognisance of the case against him.

In its order, the Supreme Court observed that it had carefully examined both closure reports submitted by the CBI with the assistance of senior counsel representing all parties.

“Having regard to the parameters consistently laid down by this Court in matters concerning the acceptance or rejection of an investigation report filed by an investigating agency, we are satisfied that there were no cogent reasons to reject the closure reports filed by the CBI and take cognisance,” the Bench stated.

The court further ordered that the appeal be allowed and the Special Court’s order summoning Dr. Singh to stand trial be set aside.

The case related to the allocation of coal blocks to Hindalco Industries during Dr. Manmohan Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister. Although the CBI had filed two separate closure reports exonerating him, the Special CBI Court had rejected those reports and issued summons against him in 2015, triggering a prolonged legal battle.

Dr. Singh, who passed away in December 2024, had challenged the trial court’s decision before the Supreme Court. During the hearing, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that although the appeal had technically become infructuous following the former Prime Minister’s death, it was essential for the apex court to examine the legality of the trial court’s findings because they contained adverse observations against his conduct.

The Supreme Court accepted this contention, recognising the need to address the legal issues involved and determine whether the summons had been issued in accordance with established principles of law.

The Bench also recalled that it had stayed the summons on April 1, 2015, after observing that the matter raised important constitutional and legal questions, including the interpretation of Section 13(1)(d)(iii) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

During the earlier proceedings, Kapil Sibal had argued that Dr. Singh’s decision to allocate the coal block to Hindalco, despite the Screening Committee’s recommendation, was an administrative decision taken in the larger public interest. He maintained that such executive decisions could not be subjected to criminal scrutiny merely because a different administrative view was possible.

Sibal had also emphasised that the trial court had acted improperly by issuing summons despite two independent closure reports filed by the CBI after a detailed investigation.

With Wednesday’s verdict, the Supreme Court has accepted the investigating agency’s findings and formally brought the criminal proceedings against the late former Prime Minister to an end. The ruling closes one of the most significant legal chapters arising from the coal block allocation controversy and posthumously clears Dr. Manmohan Singh of criminal liability in the case.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)