3 min readUpdated: Jul 29, 2026 02:47 PM IST
More than a decade after a trial court summoned Manmohan Singh in connection with the coal block allotment cases, the Supreme Court Wednesday accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s closure reports, which cleared the late prime minister in the matter.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant allowed Singh’s appeal against the trial court’s April 1, 2015, order summoning him, saying the trial court had no justification for rejecting CBI’s closure report, and closed the proceedings. Singh died on December 26, 2024.
“Vide the impugned order, the learned Special Judge took cognisance under the Prevention of Corruption Act against six persons, including the appellant, Dr Manmohan Singh. CBI, after investigation, filed closure reports, thereby giving the appellant a clean chit. Nevertheless, the learned Judge turned down the closure reports and took cognisance,” the court said in its order.
CBI filed the closure reports before the trial court in August and October 2014, finding no case against Singh. However, the special judge rejected the reports, took cognisance of the case and, in March 2015, summoned Singh to face trial.
What Manmohan Singh’s lawyers said
The bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, was hearing a batch of petitions in connection with the coal block allotment cases when Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Singh, referred to the case against the late PM.
Sibal said that though the matter had become infructuous after Singh’s death, the trial court’s remarks against him ought to be expunged.
Senior Advocate A M Singhvi, also representing Singh, urged the court to do away with the remarks.
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“Due to the unfortunate demise of the appellant, this appeal could be disposed of as infructuous. But with a view to considering the aspect of the learned Special Judge taking cognisance and summoning the appellant, we have gone through both closure reports filed by CBI,” it said.
“Having regard to the relevant parameters consistently laid down by this court on acceptance of reports of the investigating agency, we are satisfied that there was no reason for the learned Judge to turn down the closure reports of the CBI and take cognisance,” it added.