Andhra Pradesh Bars Entry Of CBI In State, Cites 'Ongoing Battle' Within CBI As Reason

On November 16, the Andhra Pradesh government withdrew the “General Consent” letter, which granted the entry of the Central Bureau of Investigation into the state. This means that the CBI can only get inside the state after permission from the state authorities whether for raids or investigation.

The ‘General Consent’ letter granted jurisdiction to the Delhi Special Police Establishment in the state for CBI investigations. Principal secretary (Home) AR Anuradha issued the order – GO No. 176 to the effect, exercising the powers under section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, on November 8, reported Bangalore Mirror.

The functions of the CBI would be carried out by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) henceforth. CNN-News18 spoke to TDP leader Lanka Dinakar, who said that this move had nothing to do with politics. He said that the ongoing battle in the Supreme Court between the two CBI heads, Rakesh Asthana and Alok Verma, has made the state lose all hope in the institution.

Andhra Pradesh Government has withdrawn the ‘General Consent’ given to the members of Delhi Special Police Establishment to exercise powers & jurisdiction in the state. In the absence of this permission, CBI can't interfere with any case that takes place within the limits of AP pic.twitter.com/bUgvB3hgBD

— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2018

However, he also accused BJP of using CBI for political purposes.

CBI vs CBI

India’s top investigation agency, Central Bureau of Investigation has booked its own special director for accepting bribery. In the FIR registered on October 15, it has been alleged that CBI number two – Rakesh Asthana accepted about Rs 2 crore in bribe from a certain Dubai-based businessman.

CBI director Alok Verma and his number two Rakesh Asthana have been involved in a fight since last year. Verma has been accused by Asthana on grounds of being intrusive in ongoing corruption cases that are being handled by Asthana. Verma has allegedly interfered with the case against Lalu Prasad. Asthana has filed a formal complaint to the cabinet secretary following which the Central Vigilance Commission was asked to check the matter in September.

Functioning of CBI

CBI was formed in accordance with the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946 which allows it to probe into matters related to Central establishments. It has full authority in Delhi but in other states, it can enter only with consent. All states sign a general consent letter and submit it every year.

The Andhra Pradesh home department granted this permission to the CBI this year in August but now, they have withdrawn it. Every state has its own Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to investigate graft cases. It should also be mentioned that AP CM Chandrababu Naidu had earlier accused the Narendra Modi government of bringing down the reputation and credibility of CBI for its own gains.

Also Read: CBI Conducts Search At Its Headquarter; Arrests Its Own Officer