Supreme Court, in a 2‑judge bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale, told the CBI to refrain from coercive steps against Punjab officials amid a corruption probe.
The directive came after the Punjab government filed a plea seeking a stay on a High Court order that had directed the CBI to investigate allegations and submit a report within two months.
The High Court had ordered the CBI to probe claims that officials received cash for transfers and for securing favourable policies, and it also mandated the surrender of all related documents to the investigative agency.
Senior advocates Vikas Singh and Sidharth Luthra represented the state, while the bench emphasized that the FIR itself would not be stayed, saying: "We are not staying the FIR. We are saying no coercive steps may be taken."
The government’s petition argued that the High Court’s direction misapplied Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and ignored the 2022 apex‑court ruling on Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Court’s order leaves the CBI free to continue its investigation but bars it from employing coercive measures against the officials in question, while the High Court’s directive remains enforceable.