West Bengal's suit against CBI probe: CBI independent body, not under Central govt: Union of India to SC

The Central government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an independent body and is not under the control of the Union of India and opposed West Bengal's suit against the Centre over the CBI probes in the State.

The Central government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an independent body and is not under the control of the Union of India and opposed West Bengal's suit against the Centre over the CBI probes in the State. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre, raised preliminary objections on a lawsuit filed by the West Bengal government on the CBI going ahead with its probe in several post-violence cases without the prerequisite nod from the State as per law.

Mehta told a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta the West Bengal government's original suit was not maintainable and sought its dismissal. The West Bengal government had filed an original suit in the apex court against the Centre under Article 131 of the Constitution, alleging that the CBI has been filing FIRs and proceeding with its investigation, despite the State having withdrawn the general consent to the federal agency to investigate cases within its territorial jurisdiction.

Article 131 empowers a State to move the Supreme Court directly in case of a dispute with the Centre or any other State. The Solicitor General said the CBI is an independent body and not one coming under the Central government, therefore, the Central government cannot be sued in the matter.

Mehta pointed out that the CBI cannot be made the subject of an original suit under Article 131 of the Constitution. Mehta said the cases referred to in the Wear Bengal's suit have not been filed by the Union of India.

"CBI is not under Centre and cannot be subject to an original suit. The Union of India has not registered any case. CBI has registered it," the Solicitor General told the bench. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing West Bengal, said that the CBI cannot probe cases concerning West Bengal without the State government's general consent.

He contended that the CBI cannot be viewed as an independent "statutory" authority. "It (CBI) is an arm of the government. Even the police is the investigative arm of the State government. They are regulated by statute but are not a statutory authority in itself," Sibal argued.

The hearing in the case will continue on May 8. On November 16, 2018, the West Bengal government withdrew the "general consent" accorded to the CBI to conduct probe and raids in the State.

The West Bengal government in its suit while referring to provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946 said that the CBI has been proceeding with the investigation and filing FIRs without getting consent from the State government as mandated under the statute. The State government had sought a stay of investigation in FIR by CBI in cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal in pursuance of the Calcutta High Court order.

It said that as the general consent given to the central agency by the Trinamool Congress government (TMC) has been withdrawn, the FIRs lodged cannot be proceeded with. Earlier, the Centre had told the top court that it has nothing to do with the post-poll violence cases registered by the CBI in West Bengal and the lawsuit filed by the State government in which the Union of India is made a party is not maintainable.

The Centre had stated that CBI being an autonomous body set up under the special Act of Parliament is the agency that is registering and investigating cases and the Centre had no role in it.In its affidavit, the Centre had stated that West Bengal's power to withhold consent to the CBI is not absolute and the probe agency is entitled to carry out investigations that are being carried out against Central government employees or have a pan-India impact. (ANI)

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