The CBI is no longer a “caged parrot” but is truly fulfilling its role as India’s top criminal investigative agency, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju insisted, adding that there was a time when people in government sometimes had trouble investigating. He added that the challenges faced by some officers in the past “no longer exist”.
The minister’s remarks to protect the agency came to India’s Chief Justice NV Ramner, who said the CBI’s credibility had come under deep public scrutiny over time because in some cases its actions and inaction had raised questions. In a tweet on Sunday, Rijiju said, “The CBI is no longer a ‘caged parrot’ but is truly fulfilling its role as India’s top criminal investigation agency.”
He also shared a short video of his speech at the first conference of CBI investigating officers on Saturday. In his speech, Rijiju said that “there was a time, I remember very well, those who sit in the government, they sometimes become a problem in the investigation”.
He said that today there is a Prime Minister who is playing a major role in the religious war against corruption. “I know there are difficulties when people in power are involved in corruption; when their consent is difficult to fulfill. It becomes difficult for the CBI. Then we have heard some uncomfortable comments from the judiciary in the past. We have come. Now there is a long way to go,” the minister said. .
During the hearing of the coal field allocation case in 2013, the Supreme Court described the CBI as a “caged parrot”. In his memorable address to the 19th DP Kohli of the CBI on April 1, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ramna called for the creation of an “independent umbrella body” to bring various investigative agencies under one roof.
The CJI said, “When it came to the CBI, it had the confidence of the people at an early stage. In fact, the judiciary was overwhelmed by the request to hand over the investigation to the CBI because it was a symbol of impartiality and independence.” “Whenever citizens questioned the efficiency and impartiality of their own state police, they sought an inquiry from the CBI as they wanted justice. But over time, like other reputed institutions, the CBI did. In some cases, its credibility has been questioned, “said Justice Ramna.
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