Summary:
The CBI is again under the Crisis.
Not too far back, it was the SC which made all the sympathetic noises about the CBI and how its director is like a parrot in a gilded cage.
The debate, ever since the LOKPAL issue took the centre stage, was about how to make CBI autonomous.
The apex court has directed the CBI director to recuse himself from the 2G case. This was after the revelations of the dairy of visitors to his official residence.
The organization is facing a serious credibility crisis.
It also puts question mark over the demand for more autonomy to the CBI.
It also raises questions about the entire appointment process to this crucial post apart from the fairness of the investigations.
In Vinit Narayan’s case, 1998, the SC had made an effort to make CBI autonomous and a dependable body. And 2 year statute was also given.
It is also being said that presently Criminal Procedure Code gives enough autonomy in the field of investigation.
There is a structural problem in the CBI I,e. lack of transparency.
The more opaque the organization keeps becoming, the more are chances of manipulation.
A section of RTI specifically prohibits anybody from sharing information which is under investigation.
Accountability and autonomy go hand in hand.
It is also said that of all the police set up in India CBI is, perhaps, the Best.
