Top court stays summons to ex-PM Manmohan

R Sedhuraman

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 1

In a temporary relief for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed his summons in coal block allocation scam case.

(See video: SC stays summons to ex-PM Manmohan Singh)

The apex court also gave similar relief to the five other accused served with trial court summons for their personal appearance on April 9.

A Bench comprising Justices V Gopala Gowda also stayed further proceedings in the trial court. Appearing for Singh, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said his client had to choose between the recommendations of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the official screening committee on allocations.

In a federal structure, the PM had to give greater weight age to the CM than to officials, Sibal said.

The case pertains to allocation of Talabira I & II coal blocks in Odisha jointly to Hindalco and two public sector companies when Singh was the then Prime Minister and Coal Minister.

The SC also issued notice to the CBI asking as to why summons issued to Singh by the trial court can't be quashed as pleaded by the ex-PM.

Meanwhile, it still remained only a decision and no physical allocation had been done.

That was why Singh decided to allocate the blocks on the advice of the CM, he said.

Allocation of coal blocks could no way be construed as a criminal act as it was part of the administrative functions of the PM who was also in charge of the Coal Ministry, he pleaded.

Manmohan Singh had last week moved the top court against a special court order summoning him as accused in the case and has sought quashing of the summons issued to him to appear as an accused on April 8 by Special CBI Judge Bharat Parashar on the ground that the order was passed without application of mind.