CBI chief refuses to be drawn into debate with Parakh

CBI Director Ranjit Sinha today refused to be drawn into any debate with former Coal Secretary P C Parakh, who had accused him of not applying mind while registering a case against the ex-bureaucrat in the coalgate scam.
"What do you want me to do? I am not interested in replying to him. I am answerable to the courts of the country and definitely furnish reply from the agency when desired by the court," Sinha said here.
Earlier during the day, Sinha had said that he would refrain from commenting on the allegations levelled against him by Parakh as the matter was sub judice.

Later talking to PTI, Sinha referred to the statement made by the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai for reposing faith in the CBI as an institution in carrying out regular and routine probe.
"....I still have trust in the system. I am very sanguine that after the CBI have made their regular and routine enquiry, they will come to the conclusion that no criminal intent could be heaped on the door of Mr Parakh," Rai had said at a book release function yesterday.
The CBI Director said during his various stints in the agency many IAS, IPS and IFS officers have been questioned.

"So instead of projecting himself as God's gift to the Indian bureaucracy, he (Parakh) should rather answer questions as and when he will be summoned to the CBI."

Sinha, who is the senior most IPS officer in the country today, said "he was pained to see a personal attack on him."
Asked whether he would like to reply to questions raised by Parakh in his book, the CBI Director said, "it is surprising that I have to answer questions from a person who is an accused. Let him (Parakh) give some answers as and when we require it."
Parakh had questioned the decision of the CBI of not naming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as an accused if the agency had found some criminal conspiracy in the case.

Referring to the criticism by former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi at a CBI function here, Sinha laughed it off and said, "I have always welcomed healthy criticism."
Gandhi had termed CBI as a "Department of Dirty Tricks" which did not have a good image.