urban Mirror Correspondent
New Delhi, November 17: The Lok Gathbandhan Party (LGP) today said entire edifice of federal investigation agency- Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)- is in jeopardy and it has become urgently necessary to overhaul its functioning systematically and logically to preserve the institution. The LGP said the puppet image of the agency into the hands of political masters has done irreparable damage to the organisation and recent on-going clash between the two top officers of CBI has completely eroded its credibility.
Sharply reacting to the decision of the Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal Governments withdrawing “general consent” to probe cases in the two states, the spokesman of the party said on Saturday that it would only complicate the all-India functioning of the agency. The spokesman said since the Supreme Court is seized of the matter in connection with forced leave of CBI chief Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana, it is high time to issue an elaborate guideline to drastically streamline its impartial functioning. The spokesman said while the accusations of bribery and other misconduct is one part of the crisis, the actual issue is honesty, integrity and transparency of the agency which has been completely eroded. With non-BJP states, Karnataka had done it earlier, announcing their territories as no go-zones for the CBI, the spokesman said it would only help in shielding corrupt and people with tarnished image. The spokesman said the image and credibility of states investigation agencies already lies in tatters. The spokesman said since whole political system has corrupted, no politician of any hues and colour is interest in impartial investigation system. Thus the Supreme Court should take up the issue to stop of the process of further erosion, the spokesman said and added people are looking up to the apex court with hope.
The spokesman said governmental control through selection of the officers on deputation from the police has a conflict of interest. Thus as a part of reform the CBI should be empowered to draw its cadre from wide governmental pool of talents with their proven record of honesty, integrity and transparency. Laying stress on enacting fresh law to make CBI a statutory body, the spokesman said it is ridiculous that even after lapse of several decades the agency has been functioning under clauses that draw institutional validity from Delhi Special Police Establishment Act and the apex court efforts in the past to ensure operational freedom have failed to yield positive results because of continued political interference.
