Journalism of Courage
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC),the supervisory arm of the government,has sought a detailed report from the CBI on the status of probes in some politically-sensitive and high-profile cases,including the assets case against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his two sons.
Former DGP Prakash Singh had written to the CVC and CBI director Ranjit Sinha raising doubts over investigations in some high-profile cases. In a letter written on behalf of India Rejuvenation Initiative,he highlighted the investigation in the rail bribery case involving former minister Pawan Bansal and the DA case involving BSP chief Mayawati,besides the Mulayam case that was headed for a closure.
On the Mulayam case,Singh said,It is more than eight months since the court directed the CBI to take such independent action as it may consider appropriate. It is surprising there has been no follow-up. SC direction was given on March 1,2007. If we were to calculate from that date,more than six years have passed and the matter is still hanging fire. If this is how investigation in high-profile cases is done by the CBI,we would be forced to think if the organisation really deserves autonomy and whether its head should have an assured tenure of two years.
CVC Pradeep Kumar told Singh he had sought comments of the CBI director on the cases highlighted.
Singh also complained regarding the CBI probe into the Ishrat Jahan encounter and said,The CBI appears to be bulldozing in this case,disregarding all considerations of propriety,inter-departmental relations and even larger national interests… Could it be that the CBI has been advised to extend the noose to an important political leader of the opposition? This kind of over-enthusiasm at the instance of partisan political leadership can hardly be appreciated.
