The Supreme Court will on Friday hear an appeal filed by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, challenging a trial court’s March 2015 order summoning him as an accused in the alleged irregular allotment of Talabira-II coal block to Hindalco.
The apex court had stayed the summons order on April 1, 2015. In 2015, Singh had appealed to raise the issue of applicability of the Prevention of Corruption Act to decisions which have not attracted charges of a quid pro quo and have to do with the process of decision-making.
In April 2015, a bench led by Justice V Gopala Gowada stayed the summoning order and admitted Singh’s petition.
However, another bench headed by Justice Madan Lokur had in September 2015 refused to stay the summoning of former minister of state for coal Santosh Bagrodia and said that his petition would be heard along with Singh’s in September 2015.
“The present petition raises substantial questions of law which call for authoritative pronouncement from the SC in relation to interplay between governmental functions and criminal prosecution under Prevention of Corruption Act, especially in cases where there is not even a whiff, let alone an allegation, of quid pro quo and the case is based upon the process of governmental decisions,” Singh had said in his petition.
CBI had earlier filed a closure report in the coal scam case but a Delhi trial court said there was prima facie evidence to summon former PM who held the charge at that time among others accused, reported Times Of India.