New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday recommended a comprehensive legislation to make the Central Bureau of Investigation functional as an efficient and impartial investigative agency. The step is being taken to make CBI more powerful and autonomous so that it can work more efficiently.
The Chief Justice said that time and again, the Supreme Court had utilized its constitutional authority to ensure that the CBI functioned without any fear or favor, and in the best public interest. As a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary investigative agency, it had for the most part of its existence enjoyed tremendous public trust, he said.
Under the DSPE Act, the CBI required consent of the State concerned for investigation, he pointed out. “Given vested interests or bureaucratic lethargy, such consent is often either denied or delayed, severely compromising the investigation. Additionally, a patch work of legislations governing the functioning of the CBI adversely affects inter-institutional coordination, both horizontally and vertically,” he said.
Delivering the 18th D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture, Chief Justice Gogoi said that, weak human resource, lack of adequate investment, accountability, and political and administrative interference are a matter of concern. Hence CBI should be given more autonomous power. He said “The CBI should be given statutory status through legislation equivalent to that provided to the Comptroller & Auditor General. The legal mandate of the CBI must be strengthened by having a comprehensive legislation addressing deficiencies relating to organizational structure, charter of functions, limits of power, superintendence and oversight”.
