New Delhi, Feb 2 (Representative) Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) functions within a well-established legal and procedural framework, deriving its powers under the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act. Giving a written reply to a question raised by Nama Nagaswara Rao over structural reforms in CBI, the Minister said the Central government does not interfere in the investigation of cases carried out by CBI, adding that the national agency has been vested with requisite administrative and financial powers. Rao asked, whether the government proposes to pursue structural reforms in CBI to make the agency an independent body, as directed in a ruling last year by the Madras High Court and if not, whether the government proposes to challenge the Court ruling in the Supreme Court and reasons for the basis of this challenge and the steps taken to streamline the functioning of the agency and making it immune from government intervention.
Singh replied that a Special Leave Petition (SLP) has been filed before the Supreme Court, challenging the August 17 order of last year, passed by the High Court of Judicature at Madras, Madurai Bench. Singh said in the last three years, of the requests received from State governments for investigation by CBI, the same were regretted in six such matters on the grounds, which included, inter-alia, constraints such as existing workload, shortage of resources or the matter not having any international or inter-state ramifications or the level of complexity requiring investigation by the CBI. The government has also taken various other measures for strengthening the agency, including towards filling the vacancies expeditiously, upgradation of infrastructure for enhancing capacities by implementation of following schemes like strengthening capacity building and up-gradation of ICT infrastructure in CBI, Centralized Technological Vertical (CTV)-CBI under the Technical and Forensic Support Units (TAFSUs) and modernization of training centre at CBI Academy, Ghaziabad, he added.