Beyond expressing concern in a strong language, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and his companion judges of the Supreme Court must exercise their powers to punish officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax (I-T) Department for acting as “political stooges” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said on Saturday.
Making a fine distinction between his role as a party spokesperson and a citizen, Mr. Surjewala said, “I, as a citizen, would urge the CJI that speaking in a strong language, sitting in court alone is insufficient when the Constitution and rule of law is being trampled upon by those sitting in the citadels of power.”
“The honourable CJI and his companion judges of the Supreme Court will have to walk further and exercise their duty under Article 136 of the Constitution, and if necessary put curbs and punish the CBI, ED and I-T [Dept.] for acting as political stooges of the [Narendra] Modi government,” he added.
The Congress general secretary was responding to questions from reporters on CJI N. V. Ramana’s comments that the CBI’s “actions and inactions have raised questions about credibility in some cases”.
Pitching for an umbrella body for the oversight of investigative agencies, while delivering the D. P. Kohli Memorial Lecture on Friday, Justice Ramana stressed on the need to break the nexus between the executive and the political class.
His comments gave fresh ammunition to the Opposition as Mr. Surjewala reiterated his charge that the CBI had become the “captive bureau of investigation” and the ED was the “election department” of the BJP.
“When Modi- ji and the BJP go to fight an election, the first people to arrive are the CBI, ED and I-T [Dept.],” the Congress leader said.
Just ahead of the last year’s Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, relatives of Opposition leaders faced raids either by ED or the I-T Dept.
In March-April 2021, I-T searches were carried out on Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) chief M. K. Stalin’s son-in-law Sabareesan, and DMK leaders Senthil Balaji and E. V. Velu.
Similarly, in February 2021, the CBI had examined the wife of Trinamool Congress MP, Abhishek Banerjee, who is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, in an illegal coal mining case.
Ahead of the bypolls in Karnataka, in October 2020, the CBI had searched Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D. K. Shivakumar and his brother D. K. Suresh over alleged disproportionate assets of about ₹75 crore.
And before the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the ED had registered a money laundering case involving NCP chief Sharad Pawar, his nephew Ajit Pawar, and others.
