The Supreme Court of India, in a significant ruling on October 16, 2025, held that directing an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an extraordinary power that must be exercised sparingly and as a last resort, not routinely on the basis of mere “doubt” or “assumption.” The court set aside an order of the Allahabad High Court that had directed a CBI preliminary enquiry into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process for various posts in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council Secretariat.

A bench comprising Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi allowed a batch of appeals filed by the Legislative Council of Uttar Pradesh and the State of U.P., quashing the High Court’s directions to register a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and refer

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