Archive · 14 Jan 2026
Supreme Court Split on Anti-Graft Law
The Supreme Court had a split decision about a law that helps fight corruption in the government.
One judge said the law is bad and should be removed because it makes it hard to investigate corruption.
The other judge said the law is good but needs an independent body, not the government, to decide when to start an investigation.
Both judges agreed that the government should not be the one to give permission for these investigations.
The law currently says that the government has to approve before an investigation can start, which makes it difficult to catch corrupt people.
The judges suggested that an independent body, like the Lokpal or Lokayukta, should handle these decisions instead.
This way, honest government workers won't be bothered by false complaints, and corrupt ones can be caught more easily.
The Supreme Court issued a split verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018.
Justice B.V. Nagarathna deemed the law unconstitutional, arguing that government approval for investigations hampers anti-corruption efforts.
Justice K.V. Viswanathan upheld the law's constitutionality but advocated for an independent authority like the Lokpal or Lokayukta to approve investigations.
Both judges agreed that the government should not be the authority to sanction investigations into corruption allegations against public servants.
The current law requires government approval before launching an investigation, which both judges found problematic.
- Who
- Supreme Court of India
- What
- Split verdict on the constitutional validity of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018
- When
- Not specified
- Where
- India
- Why
- To address the issue of government approval required for investigating corruption allegations against public servants
- Law
- Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018
- Section
- 17A
- Court's Decision
- Split verdict
- Justice Nagarathna's View
- Unconstitutional, needs to be struck down
- Justice Viswanathan's View
- Constitutional but needs independent authority
- Common Ground
- Government should not sanction investigations into corruption allegations
- Proposed Authority
- Independent body like Lokpal or Lokayukta