In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld its order of 25 July 2014 restricting applications for stay or impediment of coal block allocation investigations and trials to itself alone, rejecting appellants' contentions that this violated constitutional rights. The Court held that while appellants have no enforceable right to revision petitions (only discretionary entitlement), shifting the forum from the High Court to the Supreme Court does not deny access to justice. The coal block cases formed a distinct, identifiable class justifying special treatment without violating Article 14. The Court found no restriction of fundamental rights under Article 21, no violation of Articles 226-227, and affirmed that Section 19(3)(c) of the Prevention of Corruption Act strictly prohibits stay of proceedings except on narrow grounds. The order was valid under Articles 136 and 142 and served public interest in expeditious trial.
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