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Supreme Court of India· 09 September 2026

Does a noting in a departmental file have the sanction of law to be an effective order unless communicated as the final order?

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA v. VEDANTA LIMITED & ORS
2026 INSC 978
Coram: Justice J.B. Pardiwala · Justice K.V. Viswanathan
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Answer

A noting in a departmental file does not have the sanction of law to be an effective order unless communicated as the final order.

No. A noting in a departmental file does not have the sanction of law to be an effective order — it is merely an officer's viewpoint for internal consideration until it reaches the final decision-making authority, receives approval, and the final order is communicated to the person concerned. Applying this principle, the Court held that SEBI's internal Enforcement Department (Legal Affairs Division) noting doubting a PFUTP charge could not be treated as a binding determination shielding the respondents from the fraud inquiry.

Headnote

Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992 — ss.15HA, 15HB, 15U, 15Z — SEBI (Buyback of Securities) Regulations, 1998 — Regulation 15B(8) — SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003 — Regulations 3 and 4 — Buyback of shares — Escrow release does not bar independent fraud inquiry — SEBI (Buyback of Securities) Regulations, 1998 — Regulation 15B(8) — Escrow release does not bar PFUTP inquiry — Held: Release of the escrow amount under Regulation 15B(8) of the Buyback Regulations, upon satisfaction of its statutory exceptions, does not by itself bar an independent inquiry into fraud under the PFUTP Regulations, 2003, since the two inquiries operate in entirely different fields. (¶33) SEBI Act, 1992 — Departmental notings — Not a binding order — Held further: An internal departmental noting, such as SEBI's own Enforcement Department opinion doubting the fraud charge, carries no sanction of law as an effective order and cannot be treated as a binding determination absent communication as a final decision. (¶27) PFUTP Regulations, 2003 — Standard of proof — Balance of probabilities — Held further: Fraud under the PFUTP Regulations cannot be established on mere allegation or surmise; it must be proved on the balance of probabilities, and where no inducement of third parties is shown, the impugned device must admit of no explanation but fraud. (¶48) SEBI Act, 1992 — s.15Z — Remand to Securities Appellate Tribunal — Held further: Since the Securities Appellate Tribunal had not examined the disputed trading data or the contradiction in SEBI's own investigation reports, the matter is remanded to it for fresh adjudication confined to fraud alone, to be decided within six months. Appeals partly allowed. (¶¶57-59)

Headnote

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In the Court's own words
Paragraph 27However, in our considered opinion, the aforesaid observations of the ED (LAD) cannot be treated as a binding determination of the legal effect of Regulation 15B(8) or as creating immunity from the operation of the PFUTP Regulations. It is settled law that notings in the departmental file do not have the sanction of law to be an effective order and that a noting by an officer is essentially an expression of his viewpoint for internal consideration. This Court in M/s Sethi Auto Service Station & Anr. v. Delhi Development Authority & Ors. (Civil Appeal No. 6143 of 2008) had succinctly put the law in this regard, as follows:
Acts & Sections
Section 15HA of the SEBI Act, 1992Section 15HB of the SEBI Act, 1992Section 15U of the SEBI Act, 1992Section 15U(2) of the SEBI Act, 1992Section 15Z of the SEBI Act, 1992Regulation 3 of the SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003Regulation 4 of the SEBI (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices relating to Securities Market) Regulations, 2003Regulation 14(3) of the SEBI (Buyback of Securities) Regulations, 1998Regulation 15B(8) of the SEBI (Buyback of Securities) Regulations, 1998Regulation 19(1)(a) of the SEBI (Buyback of Securities) Regulations, 1998Section 68(4) of the Companies Act, 2013Section 24 of the Companies Act, 2013Section 173(2) of the Companies Act, 1956

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Also decided in this judgment
Does release of the escrow amount under Regulation 15B(8) of the Buyback Regulations bar an independent inquiry into fraud under the PFUTP Regulations?Must fraud under the PFUTP Regulations be proved on the balance of probabilities, not on mere allegation or surmise?Does a disputed question of fact underlying a finding of fraud lie for resolution before the Securities Appellate Tribunal, not this Court under Section 15Z of the SEBI Act, 1992?
Plain-language answer prepared by the LexStreak Editorial Desk — verify against the judgment. Source: Supreme Court of India. Corrections