The government has now constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, to prepare a draft law to insulate CBI from external influence and a draft affidavit within three weeks in the Supreme Court which had observed the CBI as a caged parrot listening to many masters. The elite investigation agency of the Central Government has really become a parrot caged by politics and by corruption. 

The Group of Ministers is deliberating on ways to further strengthen CBI’s autonomy and safeguard it from any kind of outside interferences.

The BJP has now attacked  the CBI for charge-sheeting former Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, alleging that the latter was indulging in a political witch hunt.

When the CBI arrested the nephew of Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal in the Railway bribery case, the BJP wanted the CBI to interrogate Mr. Bansal, the former Railway Minister.

If the CBI discharges its normal duties faithfully, its action is questioned by the BJP saying that it falsely implicates the BJP Rajasthan leader.

The politics blinds the eyes of justice.  The CBI has collected substantial evidence against the said Rajasthan BJP leader in the fake encounter case. In a murder case, evidence cannot be fabricated just to implicate some person falsely.  After filing the charge-sheet, the trial court has to take cognizance of such charge-sheet and the accused has every right to defend himself against the charge-sheet in the trial court.  If the trial court convicts him, then he can challenge it in the High Court and finally in the Supreme Court.

The CBI is not allowed by politicians to carry on its statutory duties in a professional manner.  If the government expects the caged parrot to listen to its many masters, the opposition party expects the caged parrot to listen to the monkey sitting outside the cage.  

Under no circumstances, the CBI should be given full independence in its function.  Even Mr. Ranjit Sinha, Director, CBI and the Supreme Court are against making this organization fully independent.  It has to be made accountable to the executive.  However,  its job of investigation needs to be insulated from any outside interference.  Such outside interference is not only from the political party in power but also from influential IPS lobby and bureaucrats.

The most shocking news concerning CBI is its own image being battered by corruption of its own officers. Recently, a senior Central Bureau of Investigation official supervising the probe into coal block allocation cases and an inspector have been arrested by the agency’s internal vigilance team for allegedly receiving Rs.7 lakh in bribe for getting a land dispute settled through his Delhi Police contacts. It is suspected that the deal was allegedly struck for Rs.15 lakh. This is only a tip of the iceberg.

It is time for the CBI to review its recruitment policy of taking "tainted" state police officers and "tainted" police officers from other police organisations on deputation.

The caged parrot needs to be freed from the cage of corruption and of politics. This is the need of the hour. Let the CBI set its own house in order. "Physician, heal thyself".

(The author Job Anbalagan may be contacted on his email id: jobanbalagan@gmail.com)