Understanding the working of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Recently the Law Minister clarified that, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now actually performing its duty, it is no longer a “Caged Parrot”.
- Recently, the Law Minister has praised the CBI as India’s top investigative agency for its high professional functioning and high conviction rate (around 70%). According to him people trust this agency.
- CBI is seen as a central agency to investigate cases of bribery and corruption.
- In 2013, the Supreme Court called it a “Caged Parrot” because of the Center’s interference in the functioning of the CBI (in the coal scam case).
Concerns related to CBI
- This agency reports to the ‘Personnel Department’ of the ‘Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions’ under the Prime Minister’s Office. Therefore, it does not have full statutory status. At the same time, questions have been raised about its autonomy.
- The CBI derives its powers from the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act 1946. The primary jurisdiction of this Act is limited to Delhi and other Union Territories.
- Some states have withdrawn the general consent. In the absence of general consent, the CBI needs to seek consent from the state government on a case-by-case basis for investigation.
- The issue of credibility of this institution has also been raised from time to time due to internal disputes and inaction in some cases. One such case was the internal dispute between the CBI Director and the Special Director in the year 2018.
Source – The Hindu
