Jaitley questions Gom’s proposal on CBI autonomy
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Sunday said the June 27 decision of the Union Cabinet based on a Group of Ministers’ (GoM) recommendations was a ‘camouflage’ to meet the July 10 deadline set by the Supreme Court to spell out steps for making the CBI free of political control.
Jaitley said wh e n the Supreme Court passed an order asking the government to outline the steps, it ought to have placed the near-unanimous recommendations of the parliamentary select committee on the Lokpal Bill to which even the UPA members had consented along with the additional note of the BJP where some suggestions were made.
Jaitley held that the GoM proposals, which include setting up of a panel of retired judges to monitor the CBI probes, created “an illusion by removing the political executive and creating a proxy institution instead.”
Stating that the government’s decision was a remedy worse than the existing problem when the Lokpal Bill was pending in Parliament, Jaitley said, as per the select committee’s suggestions, the power of superintendence and direction of the CBI would remain with the Lokpal with the Supreme Court being the appellate authority.
Officers investigating sensitive cases would not be transferred without the permission of the Lokpal. The panel of advocates who appear and advise the CBI would be independent of government lawyers since there had been considerable politicisation in the appointment of government advocates.
Jaitley said the GoM’s recommendations ignored the select committee’s suggestions for real autonomy of the CBI.