Supreme Court Exonerates Former PM Manmohan Singh in Coal Case

The Supreme Court of India has provided posthumous relief to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by quashing a summons issued against him by a special court in 2015 related to coal block allocations. The apex court rendered its decision on Wednesday, recognising the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) closure report that cleared Singh of any wrongdoing.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, stated that the special court lacked justification to dismiss the CBI's findings. These findings had exonerated Singh under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Following Singh's appeal, the court set aside the 2015 order and accepted the CBI's conclusion that there were no grounds for prosecution.

Singh passed away in December 2024, yet the court deemed it necessary to examine the case given the serious implications of the earlier remarks made against him. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Singh posthumously, argued that while the appeal would typically be rendered ineffective due to the former PM's death, the court's previous adverse comments required judicial review.

Another senior advocate, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, also requested the court to remove these unfavourable observations. The bench acknowledged that the CBI had completed a thorough investigation and found no evidence against Singh. They additionally noted that despite the CBI's closure report, the special judge unjustifiably decided to summon Singh and five other individuals.

“Considering the established parameters for accepting reports from investigating agencies, we find no reason for the judge to reject the CBI’s closure reports,” the court observed.

Although the appeal might have been dismissed due to Singh's death, the court chose to assess the validity of the 2015 summons to address the potential repercussions of the trial court's ruling. Senior advocate R S Cheema, representing the CBI, informed the bench about existing issues in related cases, contributing to the complexity of the situation.

This ruling marks a significant milestone in the long-running coal block allocation case, affirming the authority of closure reports issued by investigative bodies when sufficient grounds for prosecution are absent.