The Congress government in Chhattisgarh on Thursday withdrew general consent granted to the Central Bureau of Investigation to inquire cases in the state. The consent had been granted in 2001, PTI reported.
Chhattisgarh becomes the third state after Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to withdraw general consent for CBI investigations. The move came the same day a selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed CBI Director Alok Verma from his post, while Special Director Rakesh Asthana is still being investigated.
“The first thing is that under the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, the credibility of the CBI is at peril,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel told The Indian Express. “Therefore, it does not seem right that we allow the CBI to act as it pleases in our state.”
He claimed that law and order, and state government officers were being disturbed due to the free hand granted to the CBI to investigate cases in Chhattisgarh. “This direction [to withdraw consent] does not mean that the CBI is barred from entering the state, but that before any action, it must seek permission from the state government,” he added.
The Chhattisgarh government has conveyed its decision to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department of Personnel and Training.
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