Supreme Court Stays High Court Order on Moitra Lokpal Sanction

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed a key portion of a Delhi High Court order that had invalidated the Lokpal's sanction for the Central Bureau of Investigation to file a chargesheet against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in an alleged cash-for-query scandal. The decision came during a hearing on an appeal by the Lokpal, with the court issuing notices to Moitra, the CBI, and complainant Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, seeking responses within three weeks.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi expressed initial doubts about the high court's December 19, 2025, ruling, which set aside the Lokpal's November 12, 2025, order granting the sanction. The high court had ruled that the Lokpal misinterpreted provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, by treating sections 207A and 208 as requiring two separate sanctions: one for filing a chargesheet and another for initiating prosecution. Instead, the high court held that the Act provides for a single composite sanction under Section 20, with Section 208 merely allowing the Lokpal to designate the prosecuting agency.

The Supreme Court bench stayed paragraph 89 of the high court...