New Delhi, Sept. 5: The petrol pump scam of 1995 has returned to haunt former Union petroleum minister Satish Sharma.

The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Rajya Sabha MP on a PIL seeking action against him and directed the CBI not to close the case.

Sharma, believed to have close ties with the Gandhis, had been accused of making “out-of-turn” allotments of petrol pumps using his discretionary powers as Union petroleum minister in 1995.

The CBI had closed the file despite having reported first that there was “prima facie” a case against Sharma. Now, Common Cause, a social organisation that lodged the FIR against Sharma in 1996, has sought the court’s intervention to reopen the case. It also wants the CBI investigation report to be produced in court.

The petition sought quashing of a Union government letter denying sanction to prosecute Sharma, on which a three-judge bench issued the notices to the Centre and the CBI.

Appearing for Common Cause, counsel Prashant Bhushan contended that the CBI, after investigating the “arbitrary and discretionary” allotments of petrol pumps and LPG dealerships, found “prima facie evidence” against Sharma under the Prevention of Corruption Act read with the Indian Penal Code and filed a chargesheet.

As Sharma was a “public servant” then, the bureau had sought the Centre’s sanction to prosecute him, but was refused, Bhushan said. The CBI then filed a closure report in the cases against Sharma.

Earlier, the court had cancelled the allotments made under Sharma’s “discretionary quota”.