Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Sonia Gandhi Hails Supreme Court Clean Chit to Manmohan Singh
India's highest court, the Supreme Court, decided that a former prime minister named Manmohan Singh did not do anything wrong in a case about coal.
Some people thought he helped a friend get special permission to dig coal.
A top detective agency called the CBI looked into the accusation and said there was no proof of a crime.
A lower court did not agree with that finding, but the Supreme Court said the lower court was wrong to keep the case going.
The Supreme Court gave Mr. Singh a clean chit, which means he is now officially cleared.
Mr. Singh passed away in December 2024, so the decision came after he died.
A famous politician named Sonia Gandhi was very happy about this decision.
She said some people were unfair to Mr. Singh and accused them of being part of a coordinated attack on him.
She also said Mr. Singh helped India grow, helped poor people, and gave citizens important rights while he was prime minister.
Now, she says, history will remember him kindly.
The Supreme Court, in a judgment dated July 29, 2026, accepted the CBI's two closure reports and closed the criminal case against Manmohan Singh in the coal block allocation case.
The court set aside the Special Judge's March 11, 2015 order taking cognisance of alleged offences under IPC Sections 120-B and 409.
Sonia Gandhi, writing in The Indian Express, called the verdict the end of a 'witch-hunt' against Singh and said he was 'vindicated on every count'.
Singh, who died on December 27, 2024, now stands formally acquitted in the coal block allocation case.
Gandhi accused the Modi government of misusing agencies such as the CBI and Enforcement Directorate and criticised Modi's February 8, 2017 'raincoat' remark against Singh.
- Who
- Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (posthumously), Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and the Supreme Court of India
- What
- The Supreme Court accepted the CBI's closure reports, ending the coal block allocation case and formally acquitting Manmohan Singh
- When
- Judgment delivered on July 29, 2026; Sonia Gandhi's remarks published days later
- Where
- India
- Why
- The court found the trial court had made adverse observations against Singh without a 'compelling reason' and accepted the CBI's finding of no case
Critics of the prosecution
Supporters of the case
Coal block allocation allegations
Critics of the prosecution
Sonia Gandhi says the case was a coordinated, well-organised political 'witch-hunt' against a man of remarkable probity, and that Singh has been 'vindicated on every count'.
Supporters of the case
The trial court had found grounds to take cognisance of alleged criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust, indicating the accusations were serious enough to pursue (the Supreme Court later rejected that order).
Use of investigative agencies
Critics of the prosecution
Sonia Gandhi alleges the Modi government grossly misused agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate to pressure and silence opposition politicians while ignoring credible accusations against its own allies.
Supporters of the case
The investigative agencies described in the articles conducted the inquiry; the CBI's investigation concluded with closure reports that were ultimately accepted by the Supreme Court.
Manmohan Singh's legacy versus the current government
Critics of the prosecution
Gandhi argues the attack on Singh was meant to distract from his outstanding governance record, including high growth and rights-based legislation such as MGNREGA and the Forest Rights Act, which she says have since been weakened.
Supporters of the case
Prime Minister Modi's 2017 parliamentary remark about Singh's 'art of bathing with a raincoat on' suggests a critical view of Singh's accountability, and the current government's record stands on its own during his tenure.
- Verdict date
- July 29, 2026
- Case
- Coal block allocation case
- Court
- Supreme Court of India, Bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant
- Outcome
- CBI closure reports accepted; criminal case closed and Singh formally acquitted
- Order set aside
- Special Judge's March 11, 2015 cognisance order under IPC Sections 120-B and 409
- Number accused
- Manmohan Singh and five others
- Singh's death
- December 27, 2024
- Reaction source
- Sonia Gandhi's article in The Indian Express
