Supreme Court Affirms States’ Power To Probe Central Officials Under PC Act

Overview

• The Supreme Court upheld a Rajasthan High Court decision and dismissed Nawal Kishore Meena’s challenge to a state ACB probe.
• State police and anti-corruption bureaus may investigate and file charge sheets against central government employees for offences committed within a state under the PC Act.
• No prior permission from the CBI is required for state agencies to register FIRs or prosecute such cases, and state-filed charge sheets are not invalid for lacking CBI sanction.
• The bench cited A.C. Sharma (1973) to hold that the DSPE/CBI framework is permissive and does not divest regular police of jurisdiction over cognisable offences.
• The Court described the usual allocation of cases between CBI and state ACBs as administrative convenience to avoid duplication, reaffirming police powers under CrPC Section 156.