Welcoming the court’s ruling, the minister said that the agency ‘goes anywhere and books anyone, particularly in non-BJP ruled states’.
MUMBAI: While welcoming the Supreme Court’s ruling that the state government’s nod is mandatory for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe in its jurisdiction, Maharashtra Minister Aslam Sheikh has said that the CBI has become like a ‘pan shop’ under the BJP government at the Centre.
“Under the BJP government, the CBI has become like a ‘paan patti ki dukaan’ (‘pan shop’). It goes anywhere and books anyone, particularly in non-BJP ruled states. It took action against chief ministers and ministers. We welcome the court’s ruling.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court held that the consent of the state government is mandatory for a CBI probe in its jurisdiction and the Central government cannot extend the agency’s jurisdiction to any state without permission of states.
While deciding petitions by the accused in a corruption case in Uttar Pradesh, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar said the investigation cannot be conducted without states’ nod.
The observation of the Apex Court becomes significant as recently the state governments of Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh withdrew their “general consent” to the CBI probe in their states.
