The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the years has gained a reputation for investigating high profile cases. In fact, very often we hear people calling for a CBI investigation when there is any doubt in their mind, to an extent that the agency became the last frontier of fair probe.
Naturally, like all government agencies, CBI too has faced accusations of being a stooge of the ruling party, however, the accuser often calls for an investigation by it in many high profile cases. It is an uneasy paradox.
Under these circumstances, it was unfortunate to see the agency’s top two, Former Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana, being involved in a fight. Removal of Verma by the selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice A K Sikri and leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge was equally embarrassing, even as Kharge voted against his removal. The case lost further credibility when Verma was removed on the basis of charges by Asthana, who is himself under investigation.
CBI is currently under the charge of an interim director putting its investigations to a standstill. It has also put to question the authority exerted by the government on the agency. Such moves may lead to people losing confidence in a premiere institute of the country. Also, put the autonomy of the agency at a risk.
The government seems to have handled the matter poorly. Accusations of interference by government in agency’s working should have been dealt by taking measures to provide feuding agency seniors a fair chance to present their cases. By removing the director, this puts questions whether the government acted unfairly. However, the damage has been inflicted. The government needs to fix this crisis as soon as possible to redeem itself.
Removal of the agency director in an unceremonious manner was unfortunate and may lead to questions being raised on its autonomy. This issue goes beyond politics and all the parties need to understand that instead of accusing each other, they need to have a dialogue on finding a solution to the problem.
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is a crucial part in the CBI vs CBI case, as the director was sent on a leave on the the recommendations of the CVC. The CVC should not be a tool in the hands of the government to take action against those it deems fit, which may just be based on allegations.
The government will face a backlash due to this action. Given that general elections are approaching, it may cost them too. The politicians of the country need to understand that if CBI’s freedom to act is threatened, the agency will become redundant.
Hopefully, this will be last of such incidents to affect the CBI and also the last time the government has to intervene in such a manner. Leaving politics aside, a serious rethinking of how to handle such matters has to be devised. Very few institutes are trusted by the public, loss of even one of them is a matter of big concern.
