CBI vs. Accused: Supreme Court Rules on Discharge in Cotton MSP Scam Case
The Supreme Court held that the trial court and High Court erred in discharging the accused under Section 239 CrPC by relying on defence-produced documents (CCI’s exoneration letter) at the pre-trial stage. Reiterating Debendra Nath Padhi, it ruled that only prosecution material under Section 173 CrPC can be considered for discharge, not extraneous evidence. The Court emphasized that discharge requires examining whether the chargesheet discloses a prima facie case, without evaluating defence merits. The matter was remanded for fresh consideration under Section 239 CrPC, barring reliance on non-prosecution documents.
Facts Of The Case:
The case involves a criminal conspiracy where Rayapati Subba Rao (A-1), a Cotton Purchase Officer (CPO) of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI), Guntur, alleg...