The Supreme Court on Wednesday (August 19, 2026) asked the Delhi High Court not to grant any stay on trials in coal block allocation scam cases and decide pending appeals of accused within four weeks to ensure their rights are not adversely affected.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana passed the orders after it was pointed out that in some coal scam cases the accused have moved the high court for relief while in some cases they have moved the Supreme Court “No interim stay can be granted by the Delhi High Court. However, keeping in view the fact that non-stay of the trial may prejudice the rights of the accused, the high court is directed to decide such petitions preferably in four weeks,” the bench ordered. Last month, the Supreme Court, while relaxing its nearly 12-year-old order mandating appeals arising from the orders of special court in coal block allocation scam cases to be filed in the Supreme Court, the bench had said the prosecution and accused can move the Delhi High Court challenging acquittals or convictions recorded by the special judge. The Supreme Court in 2014 quashed 214 coal blocks allocated by the Centre between 1993 and 2010 after taking note of the PILs and ordered a trial by a special CBI judge.
Several accused aggrieved with the decision of the apex court have time and again sought modification of the direction while complaining that loss of one appellate forum against the orders of the trial court was prejudicial to them.
The Supreme Court had said this restriction was imposed to prevent accused from delaying trials in coal scam cases.
It directed that all appeals against orders on framing of charge, quashing of case and bail petitions passed by the special designated court must be filed only before the Supreme Court and not the Delhi High Court.
