The Supreme Court has accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure reports, clearing former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the coal block allotment case. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant allowed Singh’s appeal against the trial court’s order summoning him in 2015.
The trial court had rejected the CBI’s closure reports, which found no case against Singh, and took cognisance of the case. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the trial court had no justification for rejecting the closure reports and closed the proceedings. Singh had passed away on December 26, 2024.
The CBI had filed the closure reports before the trial court in August and October 2014, finding no evidence against Singh. Despite this, the special judge rejected the reports and summoned Singh to face trial in March 2015.
During the hearing, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Singh, referred to the case against the late Prime Minister and requested that the trial court’s remarks against him be expunged. Senior Advocate A M Singhvi, also representing Singh, urged the court to do away with the remarks.
The Supreme Court observed that the trial court had no reason to turn down the closure reports of the CBI and take cognisance. The court’s decision brings closure to the case against Singh, who had been summoned to face trial in 2015.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is a significant development in the coal block allotment case, which had been pending for over a decade. The case had been a major controversy during Singh’s tenure as Prime Minister.
