Supreme Court closes coal block allocation case against ex-PM Manmohan Singh

The Supreme Court on Wednesday closed the criminal proceedings against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a coal block allocation case, setting aside a 2015 special CBI court order that rejected the agency's closure reports and summoned him to face trial. Allowing Singh's appeal, the court held there were no cogent reasons to reject the agency's findings or take note against him.The case relates to the allocation of the Talabira II coal block during the UPA government's tenure. In 2015, a special CBI court rejected the agency's closure reports and summoned Singh along with other accused, prompting the former Prime Minister to challenge the order before the Supreme Court.A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana observed that the special judge had taken note against six people, including the former Prime Minister, under the Prevention of Corruption Act despite the CBI filing closure reports exonerating him."We have gone through both the closure reports filed by the CBI with the able assistance of learned senior counsel for the parties. Having regard to the parameters consistently laid down by this court in the matter of 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 said. Although Singh, 92, died in December 2024, the Supreme Court said it examined the appeal because the trial court had made adverse observations against him. "Due to the unfortunate demise of the appellant, this appeal could be disposed of as infructuous. But, we have gone through both closure reports filed by the CBI," the bench observed.Appearing for Singh, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that while the appeal had technically become infructuous after his death, the adverse findings recorded by the trial court warranted judicial scrutiny. According to LiveLaw, Sibal urged the court to expunge those observations, remarking, "The mood of the nation was different then. It's different today." Allowing the appeal, the bench said, "Consequently, we allow the appeal and set aside the impugned judgment dated March 11, 2015, and the consequential order summoning the appellant to face trial."During the hearing, the counsel sought clarification on whether the ruling would affect other connected appeals arising from the same trial court judgment. The bench clarified that its decision was confined to the role attributed to Singh in his official position and would not impact the remaining connected matters.With the ruling, the Supreme Court accepted the CBI's closure reports, cancelling the special judge's order against Singh and formally closed the criminal proceedings against the former Prime Minister.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Jul 29, 2026 14:35 IST