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Journalism of Courage
The sudden and ruthless sacking of Joginder Singh adds another ugly chapter to the history of intrigue in the CBI. That this sensitive investigating agency lent itself as an instrument of prime ministerial politics, most recently during the terms of Narasimha Rao and Deve Gowda, is common knowledge. On his part, I K Gujral strove to avoid the impression of interfering with the CBI8217;s work. But the timing and manner of Singh8217;s removal is an extraordinary reversal of principle. In the first place, it arouses the suspicion of some kind of connection with the prosecution of Laloo Prasad Yadav in the fodder scandal and the fortunes of the Janata Dal. When both issues are at a critical juncture, what necessitated the immediate replacement of Singh who had four more months of his tenure to serve?
It cannot be the Prime Minister8217;s case that there was a lack of progress in collecting information on the Rs 950 crore rip-off. Even if it was a matter of punishing Singh for selective leaks to the Press and causing premature damage to the reputations of politicians and bureaucrats, a singularly inappropriate time has been chosen for it. The whole country waits for the guilty to be brought to book even as the accused move heaven and earth to save their skins. A change of director in the midst of this is bound to shake public confidence.
As the new director R C Sharma rightly says, the CBI has not covered itself with glory. Under Joginder Singh it managed to display overzealousness in revealing details of work in progress and monumental incompetence when the cases actually reached the courts. Amidst mounting suspicions about political agendas, Sharma will have to do a lot better. From the review petition in the hawala case to stalled progress on Bofors, the CBI has major work on its plate. Immediately, the most important test will be its pursuit of the Bihar scandal. It would not be difficult to tie the case into legal knots in the courts and delay further action. The credibility of the Gujral Government depends on whether it will allow this to happen or insist on rigorous action no matter where it leads.
