Amid political tension over the alleged MUDA scam, Karnataka cabinet has withdrawn the consent given to CBI to probe crimes in the state.
Published Sep 26, 2024 | 6:10 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2024 | 6:10 PM
HK Patil. (X)
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in Karnataka, on Thursday, 26 September, withdrew general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe crimes in the state.
This move occurs in the context of a recent Karnataka High Court ruling concerning the alleged MUDA scam, alongside a Special Court’s directive for the Karnataka Lokayukta to investigate allegations involving the Chief Minister and his family. The decision was taken during a cabinet meeting held under the leadership of CM Siddaramaiah, at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday.
The decision to withdraw the consent given to CBI was announced by Karnataka Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, HK Patil.
Elaborating on the reasoning behind the decision to reporters, Patil said, “The permission given to the CBI to probe cases in the state under the Delhi Police Establishment Act, 1946 has been withdrawn. It is clear that the Union government is using the CBI as its instrument, and not judiciously. If there are any cases the agency wants to investigate, we can verify on a case-by-case basis and grant permission to them.”
When questioned on whether the decision was motivated by the possibility of CBI involvement in the MUDA case, Patil responded, “The court has already directed the Lokayukta to probe the Chief Minister and others in the alleged MUDA case. Hence, this question does not arise now.”
He added that the issue of withdrawing consent had been under discussion for some time, citing concerns over the CBI’s alleged misuse by the Union government.
When asked whether the decision was made due to concerns that the CBI would intervene in the MUDA case, Patil responded: “The court has already directed the Lokayukta to probe the Chief Minister and others in the alleged MUDA case. Hence, this question does not arise now. Though we took this decision now, it has been under discussion for some time. We have repeatedly expressed concerns that the CBI is being misused by the Union government. In the mining case, the CBI refused to file a chargesheet. Therefore, we have withdrawn general consent to the CBI.”
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing tussle between the Karnataka Thaawarchand Gehlot, the cabinet has also directed the state’s Chief Secretary and secretaries not to reply to the Governor’s letters without bringing them to the notice of the cabinet.
Commenting on the decision to South First, HK Patil said, “The Governor is writing letters with an attitude of impatience. They are directing us to send a reply on the same day the letter is written to the government. The cabinet has decided, after reviewing all the regulations, that secretaries should proceed based on the outcome of the cabinet meeting. The officials must follow cabinet resolutions before replying to the Governor.”
He added that the Chief Secretary has been informed that any letter from the Governor should be answered through the Cabinet.
It is important to note that the Governor had written to the government recently, seeking detailed report about the allegations made on the Minister for IT and BT Priyank Kharge, and Minister for Commerce and Industries and Infrastructure MB Patil, and Minister for Cooperation KN Rajanna over unlawful sanctioning of acres of land and irregularities involving crores of rupees, involving the Karnataka State Co-Operative Apex Bank Ltd.
(Edited by Neena with inputs from Mahesh M Goudar)
