Why is it in the news?
→ Supreme Court delivered split verdict on constitutional validity of Section 17A of PCA, 1988.
→ Debate on protecting honest officers versus enabling corruption probes.
Category
Polity
Important Points
- Section 17A introduced via PCA Amendment 2018; requires prior approval before investigating official acts. Justice K.V. Viswanathan upheld Section 17A conditionally, requiring independent authority opinion (Lokpal/Lokayuktas).
- Justice B.V. Nagarathna struck it down as unconstitutional, citing Article 14 and redundancy due to Section 19.
- PCA, 1988 enacted on Santhanam Committee recommendations (1962–64).
- Section 19 mandates prior sanction at prosecution stage.
- Vineet Narain (1998) struck down “Single Directive”.
- Dr Subramanian Swamy (2014) struck down Section 6A of DSPE Act.
- Emphasised need for swift trials and penalties for false complaints.