New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the CBI to moved the Delhi High Court against the discharge of a company and three others in a coal block allocation scam case.

A bench of Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar was hearing CBI's appeal against the August 9, 2024 order of a special court in Delhi discharging firm M/s Corporate Ispat Alloys aside from Manoj Jayaswal, Sanjeev Jha and Sanjeev Munjal in the case.

The development assumes significance in the wake of two top court orders between 2014 and 2017 restricting the accused from moving the high court and directing that appeals from trial courts in the coal block cases would only be filed in the top court.

The CBI moved the top court against the trial court order following the directives. The bench was inclined to issue notice on the appeal.

The CJI, however, said that the discharge order was final in nature and the Delhi High Court should consider it.

Senior advocate and special CBI prosecutor R S Cheema agreed with the CJI and said the probe agency was willing to withdraw the appeal to move the high court.

The top court, while hearing a batch of separate petitions, had previously said that it would consider modifying its orders that barred the high courts from hearing appeals against trial court orders passed in cases related to alleged illegal coal block allocations.

The intent behind the SC orders was to expedite trial processes by preventing delays and stalling of proceedings by the accused seeking relief in high courts.

It was urged that the orders be modified saying the Delhi High Court, being the appellate court, be allowed to deal with the pleas arising out of trial court orders in such cases.

"Is this the stand of the CBI that everything should come to us?" the CJI had asked Cheema.

It added, "We also want to have the benefit of Delhi High Court orders passed in these cases." Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for a litigant, then said the high court couldn't be restrained from hearing appeals and the pleas seeking discharge in the cases.

The top court in 2014 quashed 214 coal blocks allocated by the Centre between 1993 and 2010 after taking note of the PILs and ordered trial by a special CBI judge.

The CBI filed 57 cases in the coal scam and consequential money laundering cases were also filed.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)