SC gives clean chit to Dr Manmohan Singh in Coal block scam

The Supreme Court on Wednesday formally exonerated former prime minister Manmohan Singh in a coal block allocation case, quashing the 2015 trial court order that had summoned him as an accused despite two Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) closure reports, and holding that there was “no cogent reason” to prosecute him.The case pertains to the alleged irregular allocation of the Talabira-II coal block in Odisha to Hindalco Industries during the UPA government's tenure, when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also held the coal portfolio.
The order by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana brings a posthumous legal vindication to Singh, who died in December 2024 while his appeal against the summoning order remained pending before the apex court for more than a decade. 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, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, former coal secretary PC Parakh and others.
Dr Singh challenged the summons in the Supreme Court, arguing that the trial court had erred in taking cognisance despite the investigating agency finding no prosecutable case. The apex court stayed the summons in April 2015, preventing Singh from facing trial. The appeal remained pending for over a decade and, following Singh's death in December 2024, the Supreme Court has now disposed of the matter as infructuous, bringing the proceedings against the former prime minister to a close. Manmohan Singh died on December 26, 2024, at the age of 92 and was cremated with full state honours in New Delhi.