No sanction needed to prosecute 'corrupt' politicians, rules SC

In a judgement that is expected to have far reaching implications for the polity and bureaucracy, the Supreme Court today ruled that no prior sanction was essential for prosecution of public servants including chief ministers, ministers and MPs facing corruption charges.

Dismissing a batch of writ petitions filed by three former chief ministers "" Lalu Prasad, K Karunakaran, Parkash Singh Badal and several other politicians facing charges of corruption, a Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasyat and S H Kapadia, asserted that the plea of applicability of Section 197 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which requires sanction for prosecution of a public servant, was "untenable" with regard to the Prevention of Corruption Act.