Misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to suit the interests of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has set a dangerous precedent for Indian democracy and its federal structure, said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Arun Jaitley here on Saturday. Mr. Jaitley's remarks come in the wake of the arrest of former Gujarat Minister of State for Home Amit Shah in the Sohrabuddin fake encounter case.
Speaking at a symposium on ‘Federalism, Law and Order and Vote Bank Politics,' the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said, “Law and order is a State subject. The CBI can investigate only Central cases or State cases with the permission of the State. However, this does not [seem] to apply to the judiciary. The decision, [asking] the CBI to investigate State cases has set a [bad] example for the country's politics. It is destroying the federal structure of our Constitution.”
In the Sohrabuddin case, the Supreme Court had directed the CBI to take up the investigation. Mr. Jaitley alleged that the charge sheet against Mr. Shah gave a very different account than what was said by investigating agencies five years ago.
He said the CBI was used as a tool to manipulate votes when the United Progressive Alliance's majority was tested in 2008 over the issue of the India-United States nuclear deal, and this year during the cut motion.
Blaming the media for running planted stories, Mr. Jaitley remarked, “The media have become stenographers of the investigation agencies,” often manufacturing news in a bid to stay competitive.
Mr. Jaitley also criticised human rights groups and Maoist-sympathisers, terming them as “pseudo-secularists”, and said they were “the over-ground face of underground movements.”
“We are in a world where there is tyranny of the unelected and the unelectable. They [public intellectuals] cannot win an election and we call them civil society?”
Accusing the Centre of practising vote-bank politics, Mr. Jaitely said, “It is a misconception that undemocratic acts like these would result in political gains.”
BJP leader Gopinath Munde said that during his term as Maharashtra Home Minister the State had seen the largest number of encounters. “I was lucky that there was no case against me, but there are cases against the police officers. The police have the right to self-defence,” he argued.
Former Director-General of Punjab Police K.P.S. Gill also decried the human rights movements following his crackdown of the Punjab insurgency.
This is a very serious case. If we as a society do not take cognizance of State actors acting arbitrarily and killing individuals
termed "terrorists" rightly or wrongly; we cannot claim to have the
"rule of law".
Do we want to live in a society where Judiciary has no role or reason to exist?
Why is nobody talking about the fact that this whole case has been directed by the Supreme Court. I am wondering who is playing politics with this serious issue.
You know, when I think about India sinking, or not growing at a pace which it actually deserve suddenly these points raised by the gentleman crop up in my mind, that's why we will never prosper to our potential. where is the angle of Hindu or Muslim, man, these sort of talk of Hindu terrorist or innocent Muslim should have been made 300 years back, we are India and not Pakistan. Sorabuddin is admittedly a terrorist, where is the question of "Fake" was he a fake "Terrorist" if not why is the whole country breaking the head. It is unprecedented that the state Home Minister being arrested because of this stupid and a very insignificant issue. Imagine the implications of the oppn. ruled states, their morale will go down completely. Somebody said that just right in this forum that Manu singhvi or the likes of SoniaJi will be arrested just to settle the scores in future. FYI Mr.Ahmed, your so called innocent Muslim Sorabuddin killed many Muslim brethen. what non sense, he was a plain terrorist, that's it. I have great regards for Muslims, and I will never generalise anything for that community, but pl. do not try to bring a religious angle to this. Even if it is correct, the bottom line is he was the terrorist. Human Rights is the biggest bane to Indian society it is nothing but a bunch of Directionless individuals, that are being used rampantly by the Political parties.
When non RSS people were prosecuted for the wrongs or the rights, none of these commentators wrote to this paper.This was to project them as angels.Now the truth is coming out and they are unable to bear.Let these suspects fight their way out and show the world that they are innocent.In cases after cases innocent Muslims have to face torture ignominy and injustice.Now is the time for these Hindu terrorists to face the law and the public.
VOTE_Bank politics of UPA is causing immense damage to the nation; May God save the motherland!
Long ago it was settled that Indian Constitution is "not a federal Constitution" but a "Uni-federal Constitution".That means unlike USA, where all states have fedrated to form the Union, in India, the centre has powers to intervene in the state in connection with the maitaing the law and order and ensure the national unity and integration.
As regards the CBI probe of Srabudeen case is considered , the Supreme Court has authorised the CBI and NOT the UPA govt.As far backa s in 2007 the Gujarat govt. has filed an affidavit with SCI that Srabudeen encounter is a fake one.!. How, then .BJP could shift the stand now?
A person belonging to a neighbouring state washijcked by plain clothes not in Gujarat but AP and brought to Gujarat.How, then, one could call it a "state case"?
Saying that media has become stenographers of investigating agencies needs substantiation.
Congress will rue the day when they started this false tirade.
I already visulise a scenerio in future when a few of the current central ministers,state Chiefs ministers like Shiela,persons like Kalmadi or Manu Sanghvior UPA President Sonia being arrested in future on false pretexts or even foisted cases and being locked up for 10/20 years.It is not necessary that this act should come from BJP .It can come from Mayawati or the Yadavs or even from the left or why not, even a splinter group from within Congress.
The days of gentleman politics is over. Once the Pandora's box is open it will take a few genertaions to close it.
CBI should be dismantled and a new investigating set up instituted.
ARUN JAITLEY IS A PROFICIENT MAN THAT KNOWS THE LAW HE ALSO IS A BRAVE INDIAN ...BETTER THAN MANY IN THE CONGRESS WHO ARE LED BY THE PIED PIPER
Congress must give up even belatedly its pet game of Modi baiting. When Modi sys that his state is being treated as an enemy country, he is very correct. Instedf will the congress try to establish itself against this force with tis own cadres and messages to the ground level public oopinion instead of using the age old weapons the centre has been deploying.
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