A constitution bench declared that Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act “is held to be not in force from the date of its insertion.
About Section 6A of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act:
- It provided that any investigation into corruption charges against officials of the rank of Joint Secretary and above can begin only after the Central government’s approval.
- It was introduced to restore the Centre’s ‘Single Directive’, a set of instructions to the CBI on the modalities of holding an inquiry.
- It was introduced in September 2003 through Section 26 of the Central Vigilance Commission Act (CVCA).
2014 verdict of SC:
- The ruling stated that the “status or position” of an officer, such as a joint secretary and above, could not shield them from unrestricted investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in corruption cases.
- Section 6A is discriminatory and hinders efforts to combat corruption among senior bureaucrats.
Ref: Source
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