A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Parth Prateem Sahu delivered a common order on October 10, 2025. The court stated that the criminal trial, which originated from an FIR registered by the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in 2015, has already reached an advanced stage, making a transfer of the investigation unwarranted at this point.
The bench noted that the evidence of more than 170 out of 224 prosecution witnesses has already been recorded before the Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act). Given this progress, the court found "no good ground for transfer of investigation at this stage to the CBI" and expressed hope that the trial court would "conclude the trial expeditiously".
The dismissed petitions included multiple public interest litigations (PILs) and an appeal—such as WPPIL Nos. 42, 43, 44 of 2015, and others—that had alleged large-scale irregularities in the procurement, storage, and distribution of food grains under the state's PDS. These pleas had demanded an independent probe by a central agency.
The alleged scam, often referred to as the Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) scam, came to light after ACB raids in 2015 uncovered alleged irregularities, including the distribution of sub-standard rice and salt through fair price shops. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel money laundering probe in the case.
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