CBI in trouble

The infighting points to a deep rot in the organisation

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country’s premier investigative agency that now comes under the direct control of the Prime Minister, on Monday took the unprecedented step of raiding its own headquarters in the national capital. As a result of the raid, it put under arrest its Deputy Superintendent of Police, Devendra Kumar, on charges of falsifying records in connection with a case that involves the CBI second-in-command, Special Director Rakesh Asthana. On Tuesday, the CBI asked a court to grant 10-day custody of Mr Kumar even as Mr Asthana moved the High Court, seeking directions that no coercive action be taken against him with regard to the case in question. The CBI is not new to controversy but what stands out this time is a full-fledged confrontation between the CBI’s top boss, Director Alok Verma, and Mr Asthana. To be sure, both officers bring a lot of experience in handling high-profile responsibilities. Mr Verma is a former Commissioner of Police of Delhi and Mr Asthana, who is a Gujarat cadre officer, was Inspector General of the Vadodara range in 2002, when the Godhra train burning took place, and is seen to be close to the current government. He was also a key investigator in the fodder scam, which led to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad’s conviction.

The confrontation between the two top cops hasn’t unfolded overnight. The two have been moving against each other for a while now. After Mr Verma’s recommendations on appointing some Indian Police Service officers to the CBI were ignored by the government, he reportedly reached out to the Central Vigilance Commission (the organisation that supervises the CBI’s investigations) with a complaint against Mr Asthana, alleging corruption in the Sterling Biotech case. Mr Asthana, who was cleared by the CVC of this charge, returned fire by complaining to the Cabinet Secretary, alleging interference by Mr Verma, especially stalling a raid against Mr Prasad in another case. He also accused Mr Verma of being corrupt. Mr Verma hit back within months by registering an FIR against Mr Asthana, alleging he demanded a bribe of Rs 50 million from a Hyderabad-based businessman.

Even by the CBI’s standards, this must count as a low point. In the past, the CBI has suffered from disparaging epithets from all and sundry, leading to the Supreme Court describing it as a “caged parrot” in 2013 in relation to its investigations in the coal block allocation scam. Indeed, one of its former directors, Ranjit Sinha, is currently facing a CBI probe for allegedly scuttling the coal scam investigation. The CBI’s decline is also witnessed in the rising incidence of its failure to get convictions and close cases. Its performance is worse when it comes to investigating corruption charges. What this latest episode shows that as an organisation the CBI is afflicted by a deep rot. What has made things worse over the years has been its inability to ward off political interference. The central reason for that, in turn, is the way in which the appointment of top CBI officers is seen to be politically aligned. The CBI’s current state also suggests that the rot would be deeper in state police, which often loses its best to the CBI. The schism became quite evident with regard to the once élite Mumbai and Maharashtra police in the wake of the 26/11 terror attack. But the CBI is still seen as an elite organisation and most people prefer investigation by this body rather than the state police. Developments in the past few weeks have damaged its reputation. The government must reverse this trend by allowing meritorious appointments and impartial probes.