CBI Should Be Independent Like ECI And CAG, Says Madras HC

Passing a series of directions, the court had said that the order was an attempt to release the caged parrot. 

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Chennai: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should be made more independent like the Election Commission of India (ECI) and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG). 

The observation was made by a Division Bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and B Pugalendhi while hearing a petition filed by Ramanathapuram district pathikkapattor sangam seeking CBI probe into a chit fund scam. The court, meanwhile, refused to refer the case to CBI.

Passing a series of directions, the court had said that the order was an attempt to release the caged parrot. 

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court observed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should be made more independent like the Election Commission of India.

Court was hearing a plea seeking a CBI probe into an alleged financial fraud of Rs 300 crore.

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— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2021

According to a Times of India report, after the CBI had informed the court that they have been working with multiple constraints including manpower shortage, the court had directed the CBI director to send a proposal to increase the manpower within six weeks. The court then asked the union government to pass required orders within three months after receiving the proposal. 

A report from The Hindu said that the court had even said that the CBI director should be given more powers as that of the secretary to the government and should be able to report to the ministers or prime minister directly. 

According to the report, the court had said that the facilities at the central forensic science laboratory should be increased and it should be on par with the facilities at the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States of America and Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom. 

The Times of India report said, the court had pointed out that one of main reasons for delay in conducting investigation is because of the delay in receiving expert opinion from the central forensic science laboratory and to overcome it, the court had directed the centre to enhance facilities at the laboratory in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh or to establish zone-wise laboratories.