Punjab govt withdraws general consent to CBI to probe in the state

After Maharashtra, Punjab has also announced to withdraw its general consent to the Central Bureau Investigation(CBI) to probe across the geographical boundaries of the state.

In view of revocation of all previous general consents issued earlier, prior consent of the government of Punjab shall be required, hereinafter, on a case-to-case basis for investigation of any offence or class of offences under Section 3 of the aforesaid Act, by the Delhi Special Police Establishment,” reads Punjab government’s notification published in the state government gazette on November 8.

The move by the governement led by Captain Amarinder Singh means that the CBI will now have to seek permission from the state government to investigate cases in the state.

Jharkhand, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Kerala and Chhattisgarh are other states that have withdrawn the general consent accorded to the CBI to exercise its powers under the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DPSE) Act.

“The general consent granted to the CBI under Section 6 of the DPSE Act has been revoked. If the CBI has to investigate any offence or class of offences related to the state, prior consent of the Punjab government will be required on a case-to-case basis,” Hindustan Times quoted a senior officer familiar with the matter.

While states can deny general consent to CBI to probe cases in future, they do not have the power to withdraw the consent given in the retrospective dates.

Last month, Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government had withdrawn the general consent to CBI to probe after UP police had handed over its TRP scam case to CBI.

Meanwhile, for Punjab, the withdrawal comes at a time when the state government is agitated with central government over its contentious farm laws.

Image Courtesy: Google