Overview
- A bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma set aside the Andhra Pradesh High Court order that had quashed corruption FIRs.
- The Court held that no fresh Section 2(s) CrPC notification was required after state reorganisation, citing the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and a 2022 clarificatory government order.
- All FIRs registered by the ACB’s Central Investigation Unit in Vijayawada between 2016 and 2020 under the Prevention of Corruption Act were restored for statewide investigation.
- The High Court was restrained from hearing further jurisdiction-based challenges to these FIRs, while accused may challenge existing or future chargesheets on other legal grounds.
- The Supreme Court directed that no coercive action be taken in pending investigations and said respondents must cooperate with the probe.