Supreme Court Split on Law Protecting Public Officials from Corruption Probes

• Supreme Court delivered a split verdict on Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
• Section 17A mandates prior government approval for investigating public officials in corruption cases.
• Justice KV Vishwanathan upheld Section 17A, citing protection against malicious complaints.
• Justice BV Nagarathna called for striking down Section 17A, arguing it shields the corrupt.
• The case will now go before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant for a larger bench hearing.

Why It Matters: Supreme Court justices disagree on a law requiring government approval for corruption probes against officials.