<h1>Ministerial appointment decisions in land-for-jobs FIR: whether they were official duties u/s 17A, affecting sanction requirement</h1> The dominant issue is whether the ministerial decisions challenged in the land-for-jobs FIR constituted the 'discharge of official functions or duties' under Section 17A, PC Act; the CBI contends those appointment decisions fell outside the minister's official functions because appointment authority rested with general managers, with the operative effect that prior sanction under Section 17A was not required to proceed against the minister. A related issue is adequacy of prior sanction for prosecution of involved officials; the CBI states sanction under Section 17A was obtained for the concerned general managers, with the operative effect that proceedings against those officials are asserted to be procedurally sanctioned.