New Delhi, July 30 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday formally exonerated former prime minister Manmohan Singh in a coal block allocation case, quashing the 2015 trial court order that had summoned him as an accused despite two Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) closure reports, and holding that there was "no cogent reason" to prosecute him. The order by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana brings a posthumous legal vindication to Singh, who died in December 2024 while his appeal against the summoning order remained pending before the apex court for more than a decade. Wednesday's order not only closes the criminal proceedings against the late former PM but also expressly endorses the CBI's conclusion that there was no material to prosecute him, bringing to an end one of the most politically significant criminal cases arising from the coal block allocation controversy during the UPA era. While noting that the appeal had technically become infructuous owing to Singh's demise, the bench said it was nevertheless necessary to examine the legality of the trial court's decision because the former prime minister had been summoned despite the investigating agency twice concluding that no criminal case was made out against him.P8...