CBI needs to be cautious as probes tarnish reputations: Sharma

Perturbed by the probe initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against former Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman C. B. Bhave, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said the investigating agency should exercise great caution as such enquiries ‘tarnish’ reputations.

“We should be very clear that any enquiry also tarnishes the reputation and destroys reputation. So, there is a great caution required,” Mr. Sharma told PTI when asked about his views on the Preliminary Enquiry (PE) registered by the CBI against Mr. Bhave.

Mr. Sharma said that one should not create an environment where every bona fide decision was made suspect.

“You have to have a functional environment in the country where decision making and governance are not held to ransom.

This is very, very clear that Central investigative agencies have a role to play where the bona fides of a decision are questionable for graft or pecuniary gains and not otherwise,” he added.