New Delhi :– The Bureau of Investigation traces its origins to the Special Police Establishment, a Central Government Police force, which was set up in 1941 by the Government of India to investigate bribery and corruption in transactions with the War and Supply Department of India.
Last week two of the country’s top police officers were accused of crimes. Newspapers were writing fantastic headlines. And the drama, which also involved literal spies, was playing out in an increasingly public manner. Both, Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana have been shunted out from the CBI by the government but the war between them has become a political issue. Opposition has claimed that Modi government took action against CBI Director Alok Verma as he was trying to probe into Rafale deal. BJP has refuse the claim.
Public perception about one of India’s premier investigating agency is consistently falling. What really is wrong with the institution? Ten News Spoke to Former CBI Joint Director Shantonu Sen regarding this.
Speaking about the CBI controversial Showdown, Shantonu Sen said,
“It’s not really a controversy. CBI is an Anti corruption agency and now corruption has been reported in the upper ranks of the CBI. It is the duty of every CBI Officer to investigate corruption, if he finds corruption amongst his colleagues he has report to the special unit in the CBI which watches the officers. CBI from very beginning has been very alert about the corruption in its own department.”
When asked about Supreme Court role in functioning of the CBI he said,
“Supreme Court by virtue if it’s chief justice has a part of appointing director in CBI. Supreme Court takes trial cases which comes and have been appealed to supreme court after the investigation by the CBI. Supreme Court doesn’t monitor the CBI. I don’t see any role of supreme court monitoring the CBI that role is of CVC.”
Talking about the Congress party allegations on BJP over Systematic Dismantling of the CBI, He said,
“Yes the Politicians and both political parties have been saying against each other from a very long time but the fact is in CBI the Congress which has been in governance for the longest time and the Congress Party is responsible for the CBI for the longest time and the Congress Party has irked in maintaining the CBI. Though It was the great Prime Minister of the country Lal Bahadur Shastri who really founded the CBI and he saw CBI as a Institution where there will be CBI Officer is directly recruited in the CBI to. Learn the art of Detectivity and then being mastered Detective of the organisation.”
When asked about how CBI can recover from this setback and what should be the Road Map, Sen Said, “Roadmap has been done in the 60’s after all why did the CBI get this achievement because from 60’s onwards the CBI insiders knew how to investigate and CBI has Bosses who has worked in the CBI just replicate that, have insiders, recruit good officers.”
When asked is CBI the handmaiden of the government? Shantonu Sen said,
“CBI has never been controlled by Government, CBI has always been controlled by the law of the land, we may be appointed by the government but we work under the law. So if you alow the law to control you then there is no problem, yes posting, transfers will be done by the government but officers within the CBI should have only one master that is the law”
Talking about the Difference in CBI Functioning under BJP and Congress he said, “See CBI existed as an Special Police establishment from 1943, and after 1963 it is Central Bureau Investigation so the Congress government has been there from 1947. So from 1950 to 1990 CBI was very good. Both governments from the 1998 responsible of the downfall of CBI but under great Prime Ministers, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Mr Lal Bahadur Shastri, Mrs Indira Gandhi during our best period, Morarji Desai, Rajiv Gandhi CBI was a great Organization and CBI have done great work.”
