Centre's approval not required in court-monitored probe: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court today held that no approval from the Centre is required by CBI to prosecute senior bureaucrats in court-monitored corruption cases, strengthening the arms of the agency to go ahead against the officials without taking prior sanction from government.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice R M Lodha cleared the deck for the agency to prosecute bureaucrats allegedly involved in coalgate scam without waiting for government's sanction.

The bench passed the order in one of the applications filed in coal blocks allocation scam seeking its direction to do away with the provisions of prior sanction of the Centre in cases monitored by court.

"Sanction is not necessary under section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act when the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act is monitored by court," the bench said.