Supreme Court Quashes 2015 Summons Against Former PM Manmohan Singh in Coal Block Case

July 29, 2026

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday formally exonerated former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in the coal block allocation case by quashing a 2015 Special CBI Court order that had summoned him to face trial, ruling that there were no valid grounds to reject the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure reports which had given him a clean chit.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana allowed Dr Singh’s appeal and set aside the March 11, 2015 order of the Special Judge at Patiala House Courts, which had rejected the CBI’s closure reports and taken cognisance against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Supreme Court Upholds CBI Closure Reports

The apex court said it had carefully examined both closure reports filed by the CBI and found no justification for the trial court’s decision to reject them.

“We are satisfied that there were no cogent reasons to set aside the closure reports filed by the CBI and take cognisance,” the Bench observed.

The court added that the appeal was allowed and the 2015 order summoning the former Prime Minister to face trial was set aside.

Case Continued Despite Dr Singh’s Death

Dr Manmohan Singh, who passed away in December 2024, had challenged the trial court’s decision after it summoned him despite the CBI filing two closure reports in the case related to the allocation of coal blocks to Hindalco.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued before the Supreme Court that although the appeal could have become infructuous following Dr Singh’s demise, it was necessary to examine the legality of the Special Judge’s order because it contained adverse findings against him.

Summons Had Been Stayed Since 2015

The Supreme Court had stayed the summons on April 1, 2015, observing that the matter involved important questions of law, including the constitutional validity of provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

During the proceedings, Sibal argued that the allocation of the coal block to Hindalco was an administrative decision taken in public interest and that the Special Judge could not substitute the executive’s assessment with its own. He also pointed out that the summons had been issued despite two CBI closure reports.

With the latest ruling, the Supreme Court has accepted the CBI’s findings and brought the criminal proceedings against the late former Prime Minister to a formal close.