CBI autonomy: Cabinet clears GoM proposal to empower 'caged parrot'

New Delhi: The Union Cabinet today cleared suggestions by the Group of Ministers to bring autonomy in the working of CBI which include constitution of a panel of retired judges to oversee the investigations undertaken by the agency besides increased financial powers of its Director. Sources said the GoM, chaired by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, has recommended constitution of a panel of retired judges which would monitor the investigations undertaken by the agency to ensure that probes remain free from any external influence. [caption id=“attachment_911539” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Image: ibnlive[/caption] It has also recommended increase in financial powers of the CBI Director and a new mechanism for the appointment of the Director (Prosecution) which is at present a Law Ministry appointee. The recommendations will now be part of the affidavit to be filed before the Supreme Court early next week which would hear the matter on July 10. The government is also likely to tell the apex court about the pending Lokpal Bill which is under consideration of the Rajy Sabha. The Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha has recommended that the CBI Director should be selected through a collegium of the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition of Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. The Group of Ministers, also comprising Law Minister Kapil Sibal, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy, had concluded its deliberations on Monday. Official sources said the provisions may not be in accordance with the provisions of the CrPC as an investigating officer reports only to court and no one else could interfere in its investigations. However, former CBI Director Joginder Singh called the setting of retired judges’ panel as a welcome step and said it should be implemented at the state-level as well. He cited example of Uttar Pradesh government which wanted to withdraw charges of terrorism against minority youths but was stopped by the respective courts. Another important recommendation made by the GoM relates to increase in the financial powers of the CBI director. The sources said the CBI director needs more financial powers as at present they are dependent on bureaucrats for sanction of funds, however small they might be. Its recommendations was placed before the Cabinet today. Once the Cabinet clears the recommendations, an affidavit in this regard is placed before the Supreme Court which then would hear the matter on July 10. The government’s move to constitute the GoM came after scathing observations of the Supreme Court on the functioning of the CBI while hearing the coal block allocation case. The Supreme Court had indicted CBI for being a “caged parrot” of its political masters while hearing a case related to alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocation and directed it to make an effort to come out with a law to insulate CBI from external influence and intrusion. “… CBI has become a caged parrot. We can’t have CBI as a caged parrot speaking in its master’s voice. It is a sordid saga where there are many masters and one parrot,” the Supreme Court had said during a hearing on May 6. The court’s observation had come following an affidavit from CBI Director Sinha who admitted to having shared a draft coal block allocation probe report with former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and two joint secretaries – Shatrughna Singh and A K Bhalla – in the Prime Minister’s Office and Coal Ministry respectively. The GoM has met three times and it was seemingly not inclined to bring drastic changes in the functioning of the CBI, government sources said. CBI, which is probing irregularities in allocation of coal mine blocks on the direction of CVC, has so far registered 13 FIRs in the matter. The agency has questioned two former officials as witness which were posted in PMO during the period 2006-09 with regards to coal blocks allocated during the period. PTI