New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is strongly opposed to its inclusion under the Lokpal - the new anti-corruption body that will investigate charges of graft against those holding public offices. This is what NDTV has learnt after the director of the premier investigating agency appeared before the Lokpal Standing Committee in Parliament today chaired by Congress Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
The CBI director, along with the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), reportedly voiced his opposition against the anti-corruption branch of the CBI coming under the ambit of the Lokpal Bill that calls for the creation of an ombudsman. The CBI, instead, pushed for greater autonomy and strengthening of the agency rather than the creation of a Lokpal.
The parliamentary panel, after hearing the heads of both agencies, suggested that the CBI director could be made an ex-officio member of the Lokpal authority.
The CBI's opposition stems from the insistence by 74-year-old social activist Anna Hazare for the inclusion of the anti-corruption wings of the agency and the CVC under the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizens Ombudsman Bill) - the version that the septuagenarian and his supporters, better known as Team Anna, are strongly pitching for.
Different drafts of the Lokpal Bill - including Mr Hazare's version and another prepared by the government - are being reviewed by the parliamentary committee headed by Mr Singhvi.
The CVC currently checks corruption among government departments. The CBI, meanwhile - at least on paper - functions with relative autonomy, reporting to the government via the Department of Personnel and Training mainly on administrative matters.
Senior CBI officers contend that transferring officers of its anti-corruption wing to the Lokpal will adversely impact the investigations that the agency is meant to handle. Currently, the Anti-corruption Wing often teams up with the Economic Offences branch and the Special Crime Branch, for example.