Centre For Public Interest Litigation vs Union Of India

insc-2026-55 Supreme Court of India 13 January 2026 • WRIT PETITION (C) NO. 1373 OF 2018 • 229 min read
50 cases cited (0 SG, 50 foreign) Cited by 1 case

Practice Areas

Act called the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 Act is contrary to the object and purpose of the Act Act makes the said provision contrary to the objects of the Act Act which makes the provision arbitrary as it does not serve the object of the Act Administrative Procedure Act, 1946 Air Force Act, 1950 Amendment Act Amendments to the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 Amendments to the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 Amendments to the DSPE Act, 1946 Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949 CBI derives its powers from the DSPE Act, 1946 CVC Act, 2003 Central Vigilance Act, 2003 Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 City of Nagpur Corporation Act, 1948 Coast Guard Act, 1978 Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 Commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the CVC Act, 2003 Commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the Central Vigilance Act, 2003 Commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 Companies Act, 1956 Constitution of India Court that powers of investigation which are governed by the statutory provisions under the DSPE Act, 1946 DSPE Act DSPE Act, 1946 Delhi Special Establishment Act, 1946 Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 General Clauses Act, 1987 Income Tax Act, 1961 Indian Penal Code, 1860 It came to be enacted because the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 Land Acquisition Act, 1894 Lokpal Act Lokpal Act and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 Lokpal in accordance with the provisions contained in Chapter VII of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchyat Samitis Act, 1961 Motor Vehicles Act, 1939 Nagar Panchyats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965 Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 Prevention of offence was alleged to have been Corruption Act, 1988 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 Societies Registration Act, 1860 Special Police Establishment (SPE) under the DSPE Act, 1946 State Lokpal Acts are designed broadly on the same pattern as the Central Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 said directions were incorporated in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 2003 superintendence of the DSPE Act, 1946 words and expressions used herein and not defined in this Act but defined in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988

Judges (2)

B.V. Nagarathna Coram K.V. Viswanathan Delivered

Parties (2)

Centre For Public Interest Litigation Petitioner Union of India Respondent

Case Significance

Centre For Public Interest Litigation vs Union Of India is a Supreme Court of India decision dated January 13, 2026 (citation: insc-2026-55). Public interest litigation writ petition concerning Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and its constitutional validity. The Supreme Court examined the contentions of both petitioner and respondent and referred the matter for constituting an appropriate bench to consider the issues afresh. The bench comprised Justices B.V. Nagarathna and K.V. Viswanathan. The judgment was delivered by Justice K.V. Viswanathan.

This case has been cited by 1 subsequent judgment. The judgment references 50 case citations.

Summary

Public interest litigation writ petition concerning Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and its constitutional validity. The Supreme Court examined the contentions of both petitioner and respondent and referred the matter for constituting an appropriate bench to consider the issues afresh.

What was the outcome of Centre For Public Interest Litigation vs Union Of India?

Public interest litigation writ petition concerning Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and its constitutional validity. The Supreme Court examined the contentions of both petitioner and r...

Statutes Cited

Act called the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
Act is contrary to the object and purpose of the Act
s 17A
Act makes the said provision contrary to the objects of the Act
s 17A
Act which makes the provision arbitrary as it does not serve the object of the Act
s 17A
Administrative Procedure Act, 1946
Air Force Act, 1950
Amendment Act
s 12 s 7
Amendments to the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003
Amendments to the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952
Amendments to the DSPE Act, 1946
Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act, 1949
CBI derives its powers from the DSPE Act, 1946
Central Vigilance Act, 2003
s 3
Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003
s 3
City of Nagpur Corporation Act, 1948
Coast Guard Act, 1978
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
Commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the Central Vigilance Act, 2003
Commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003
Commission shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of the CVC Act, 2003
Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952
Companies Act, 1956
s 617
Constitution of India
Art 105 Art 14 Art 142 Art 154 Art 166 Art 166(3) Art 226 Art 311 Art 32 Art 53(1) Art 77 Art 77(2) Art 77(3)
Court that powers of investigation which are governed by the statutory provisions under the DSPE Act, 1946
CVC Act, 2003
s 8A
Delhi Special Establishment Act, 1946
Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946
s 2 s 6A
DSPE Act
s 6 s 6A
DSPE Act, 1946
s 6A s 6A(1)
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010
General Clauses Act, 1987
s 3(23)
Income Tax Act, 1961
Indian Penal Code, 1860
It came to be enacted because the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947
Land Acquisition Act, 1894
s 17(1)
Lokpal Act
s 20 s 23 s 56
Lokpal Act and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
s 14 s 46 s 56
Lokpal in accordance with the provisions contained in Chapter VII of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchyat Samitis Act, 1961
Motor Vehicles Act, 1939
Nagar Panchyats and Industrial Townships Act, 1965
Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947
s 6
Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
s 17A s 2 s 3 s 7
Prevention of offence was alleged to have been Corruption Act, 1988
s 7
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
s 2(f)
said directions were incorporated in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 2003
Societies Registration Act, 1860
Special Police Establishment (SPE) under the DSPE Act, 1946
State Lokpal Acts are designed broadly on the same pattern as the Central Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013
superintendence of the DSPE Act, 1946
words and expressions used herein and not defined in this Act but defined in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988

Cases Cited (50)

IN (50)
(1955) 2 SCC 388 (1955) 2 SCR 925 (1962) 3 SCR 786 (1970) 1 SCC 443 (1970) 1 SCC 595 (1976) 1 SCC 602 (1980) 1 SCC 554 (1981) 2 SCC 410 (1982) 1 SCC 618 (1983) 1 SCC 305 (1984) 2 SCC 404 (1984) 2 SCC 534 (1987) 1 SCC 288 (1987) 3 SCC 34 (1991) 3 SCC 655 (1993) 2 SCC 746 (1994) 4 SCC 687 (1997) 3 SCC 433 (1997) 4 SCC 770 (1997) 6 SCC 241 (1998) 1 SCC 226 (1999) 5 SCC 138 (1999) 9 SCC 700 (2000) 5 SCC 88 (2001) 5 SCC 755 (2001) 6 SCC 584 (2004) 9 SCC 319 (2006) 8 SCC 693 (2011) 12 SCC 695 (2012) 12 SCC 384 (2012) 3 SCC 64 (2012) 9 SCC 1 (2014) 2 SCC 1 (2014) 2 SCC 532 (2014) 8 SCC 682 (2015) 2 SCC 33 (2017) 10 SCC 1 (2023) 5 SCC 717 1968 SCC OnLine SC 9 2025 INSC 1279 2026 INSC 55 AIR 1959 SC 1376 AIR 1968 SC 870 AIR 1970 SC 1102 AIR 1970 SC 150 AIR 1974 SC 2192 AIR 1975 SC 1436 AIR 1978 SC 851 AIR 1988 SC 1369 AIR 2011 SC 479

Cited By (1)

insc-2026-55
Centre For Public Interest Litigation vs Union Of India

Judgment

Read the full judgment on the official India Courts portal.

Read on Indian Kanoon

Source: Indian Kanoon (insc-2026-55)