INDIFFERENT GOVT. MAK SICK BODY

Nothing could be more appalling than the indifferent attitude of the Government towards efficient functioning of Central Bureau of Investigation, the country’s premier investigating agency. There are reports of deep rooted frustration amongst the officers of the CBI cadre who are directly recruited for the agency. They are officers of sub-inspector ranks to the rank of deputy superintendant of police.

 

The government’s interest is confined to its vested interests in cases being handled by the CBI and not in the efficient functioning of the agency.There is no reason why the government should be looking the other way to vacancies at various levels that remain vacant. More than 15% of vacant posts have not been filled for the past ten years.

 

The IPS officers who rule the roost in the CGO Complex, the headquarters of the CBI have blocked the gate to promotion of the cadre officers of the agency.According to a petition submitted by the cadre officers of the CBI to the Supreme Court, 20% of the post of officers of the rank of joint director of the CBI are reserved for the cadre officers, none of the post has been given to them. On the contrary, all the posts have been grabbed by the IPS cadre. The Supreme Court, however, has rejected the petition.

 

The IPS officers manning the agency are on deputation. A Parliamentary Committee report has recommended that the CBI should reduce its dependence on IPS officers and insead build its own cadre. The government has now appointed a Group of Ministers-GOM to look into the demand for functional autonomy for the CBI following sharp observations made by the judges of the Supreme Court during the hearing of Coal Block scam.

 

It is not always a case that the IPS officers function honestly while investigating a high profile case. The Arushi murder case is one example.

An IPS officer who was heading the investigation had given virtually a clean chit to the Talwar couple in the murder case. Once the officer returned to his parent cadre, the case was pursued and all the links pointed out the needle of suspicion to the parents of the deceased involved in the crime.

 

The present incumbent Ranjit Sinha has sought some functional autonomy for the CBI which includes power to take officers on deputation, power to engage independent counsels and power to decide on appeal in the cases the agency is investigating.

 

But the government is disinclined to agree to the proposals. By allowing the agency to pick up officers, it will lose the clout over the officers in the agency. By allowing the CBI to engage independent counsels, the government would not be able to manipulate cases as it was evident in the coal block scam- the former law minister did not want the CBI to engage independent counsel in preparing the affidavit for the Supreme Court in the coal scam, though in this case the CBI Director prevailed.

 

At present there is a divide between the IPS officers and the cadre officers that is adversely effecting the functioning of the agency. Recently two cadre officers were arrested on charges of taking bribe. The accused officers alleged that it was a ploy to remove them from the investigating team of coal scam. But the CBI argues that the cash was recovered from the accused officers. Whom one should believe?

 

~ R.K.Sinha