The Supreme Court on Wednesday closed the criminal case against late Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and five others in the Talabira-II coal block allocation matter, setting aside a 2015 Special CBI Court order that had summoned them. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana accepted the CBI's two closure reports and ruled there was no valid reason to reject the reports or take cognisance of the alleged offences. The court stated they were satisfied that there was no reason for the judge to turn down closure reports of CBI and take cognisance. The decision comes nearly two years after Singh's demise on December 26, 2024, with the court noting that due to the unfortunate demise of the appellant, this appeal could be disposed of as infructuous.
Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, ex-coal secretary P C Parakh and three others were summoned as accused by a special court in a coal scam case pertaining to allocation of Talabira-II coal block in Odisha in 2005. The case specifically pertains to the allocation of Talabira II coal block in Odisha to M/s Hindalco in 2005, when the then PM Singh was holding the coal portfolio. In March 2015, a Delhi trial court summoned Singh as an accused despite the CBI filing a closure report, holding that there was prima facie evidence to proceed against him. The Supreme Court had earlier intervened and stayed the summons in April 2015, preventing Singh from facing trial. The proceedings stemmed from the allocation of coal blocks to Hindalco, allegedly against the Screening Committee's recommendation.
According to the Supreme Court bench, the top court said there was no reason for the trial court judge to turn down closure reports of CBI and take cognisance. The bench noted that due to the unfortunate demise of the appellant, this appeal could be disposed of as infructuous, but they considered the aspect of the special judge taking cognisance and summoning the appellant. The court stated they were satisfied that there was no reason for the judge to turn down closure reports of CBI and take cognisance. Having regard to the relevant parameters consistently laid down by this court on acceptance of reports of investigating agency, the bench concluded that there was no reason for the judge to turn down closure reports of CBI and take cognisance. The court allowed the appeal and set aside the impugned judgment, accepting the closure reports of CBI and closing the matter.
Singh questioned the absence of the mandated sanction for prosecuting public officials like him and denied any criminality in his decision concerning the coal block allocation. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Singh, told the bench that the matter may be disposed of with remarks against him being effaced. Sibal had previously argued that the decision was purely administrative and there was no illegality in allotting coal blocks to a private party. On behalf of the late former Prime Minister, senior counsel Kapil Sibal told the Bench that while the appeal had technically become infructuous after Singh's demise, the trial court's remarks warranted interference. He requested the court to expunge the remarks against the former Prime Minister. As senior counsel RS Cheema, representing the CBI, said issues relating to the validity of certain provisions survived in connected matters, senior advocate AM Singhvi said at least the remarks against Singh could be expunged.
