NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has ruled that High Courts should order a CBI investigation only in exceptional cases. The court was considering petitions alleging irregularities in recruitment to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat, in which the Allahabad High Court had ordered a CBI probe. The Supreme Court has now cancelled that order.

A CBI investigation should be seen as an extraordinary step, to be used only in rare situations and as a last resort, the court said. Such an order can be justified only when there are doubts about the fairness or efficiency of state agencies, when fundamental rights are at stake, or when issues of national interest are involved. The verdict was delivered by a bench comprising Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi.

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