Biased, being misused: Karnataka govt curbs CBI powers in the state

Bengaluru: In a major development, the Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday, September 26, decided to withdraw the act which empowered the CBI to investigate freely in the state.

“The provision was enabled by the government under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The Cabinet has decided to take back the bill,” Karnataka minister for law H K Patil told reporters at Vidhana Soudha after the Cabinet meeting.

He said that there are serious allegations against the Central government for following the procedure and law. “In this background, the decision was taken to withdraw the free hand given to the CBI in the state,” the Law minister said.

He added that there is an allegation that the CBI is being misused and that is why the decision was taken to withdraw freehand to the CBI operations in the state.

“We have seen the CBI working in a biased manner. Few are investigated during the election time while the Governor keeps on blaming the state government unnecessarily. The Supreme Court has also mentioned the developments,” Minister Patil stated.

Karnataka has now joined the list of states that have curbed the powers of the Central agency to probe freely.

• Chhattisgarh
• Jharkhand
• Kerala
• Meghalaya
• Mizoram
• Punjab
• Rajasthan
• Telangana
• West Bengal
• Tamil Nadu

What does curbing CBI powers in a state mean?

Curbing CBI powers in a state will require the central agency to acquire written permission from state governments for any probe. This process will delay investigations, especially in urgent cases like corruption or financial crimes.

The reluctance of the states to allow the smooth functioning go the central agency is a reflection of the brewing tension between the Center and opposition-led states. The CBI on various occasions has been accused of being a tool in the hands of the BJP-led Union government.

Karnataka governor writing letters in intolerant manner: Govt

The cabinet also decided not to provide information to the Governor’s office directly. “The decisions were made to strengthen the federal structure in the country,” said the state law minister

He added that the Governor is writing letters to the government in an “intolerant manner” and is asking to provide information immediately or in a day’s time.

“Therefore, the Cabinet has decided to instruct the Chief Secretary of the government of Karnataka not to provide information directly to the Governor,” the Law Minister said.

He added that the Chief Secretary will be directed to proceed in the matter of providing information to the queries of the Governor only after bringing them to the knowledge of the state cabinet.

“The Chief Secretary can’t provide any direct information to the Governor,” the Law Minister said.

He said that the investigation and inquiry have been conducted regarding the matter of information leak between the government and the Governor’s office.

“The Cabinet had discussed leaking of the letter dated September 6. The letters are leaked by the Raj Bhavan. People need to be informed about the existing situation and truth. The Raj Bhavan is unnecessarily blaming the Congress government,” he said.

(with inputs from IANS)

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