The Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the Rajasthan High Court order, which had paused criminal proceedings against former state Urban Development and Housing (UDH) minister and Congress MLA Shanti Dhariwal and three senior bureaucrats in the high-profile Ekal Patta case.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Suryakant and Justice Ujjval Bhuyan, was hearing a plea challenging the Supreme Court’s decision to stay these proceedings.

The petition filed by RTI activist Ashok Pathak led the top court to direct the Supreme Court to take up the matter again with fresh hearings.

The Supreme Court also fixed a six-month deadline for the Supreme Court to take a decision in the case.

Ekal Patta case revolves around allegations of corruption related to land lease (patta) was awarded to Ganpati Construction for a prime property in Jaipur. The controversy involves several senior officials, including key figures within the Urban Development and Housing (UDH) department and Jaipur Development Authority (JDA).

The issue dates back to 2005, when the JDA first approved a lease for a cooperative society managing the land.

The debate deepened further after the news broke. patta It was given to Ganpati Construction without explaining that it had previously been rejected, leading to complaints and subsequent investigations.

Initially, the BJP-led Rajasthan government defended Dhariwal, claiming that there was no corruption involved in the Ekal Patta case. However, following widespread public criticism and calls for accountability, the government later revised its stance.

The latest Supreme Court order clears legal hurdles earlier imposed by the Supreme Court, which had stayed ongoing investigations and cases against Dhariwal and three other officials: former Additional Chief Secretary GS Sandhu, former Deputy Secretary Nishkam Diwakar and former Deputy District Commissioner Onkarmal Saini.