Former CBI chief against agency working under Lokpal

When the Union Cabinet meets on Tuesday to discuss the Lokpal Bill, it will have to decide whether to bring the Central Bureau of Investigation under its purview.

The government may try to skirt this issue by quoting a verdict by the Supreme Court of India that has set guidelines on altering the nature of the CBI and its functions.

According to former CBI director Joginder Singh, it would be meaningless to bring the agency under the ambit of the Lokpal.

Though the CBI has an anti-corruption wing, the investigating agency has other functions, points out Singh.

"There is no point in handing over the CBI to the Lokpal. Segregating one of its wings (anti-corruption) would only create more confusion. The CBI deals with cases pertaining to the Interpol and other crimes. The CBI also does work assigned to it by state governments and hence putting any particular wing under the Lokpal would cause problems for the agency," he said.

An alternative for the government can be the creation of a Lokpal Bureau of Investigation that would probe cases filed with the anti-corruption body. The bureau can utilise the services of some CBI officials as well as rope in some officers from the agency's anti-corruption wing.

But setting up a separate bureau of the Lokpal is no easy job, says Singh.

"The staff strength matters a lot and it would probably need roughly 1,000 investigators and 300 prosecutors," says Singh.

But the former CBI chief doesn't think that the agency should draw the curtains on its anti-corruption wing.

"There are cases of murder that are connected to corruption or have a money trail. In such an event, the anti-corruption wing of the CBI has to remain in existence," he says.

Singh adds that the Lokpal bureau and the CBI need to have clearly defined parameters to avoid any possible rift.

He also backed the idea of granting a constitutional status to the CBI.

"The CBI is under government control. But I don't think it should be an independent body; it may be dangerous because of the amount of power it would enjoy. A constitutional status on the lines of the Election Commission of India would be ideal," said Singh.

He agreed that there was a dire need to root out corruption and a strong, independent body was needed for that.

"The government should also think of strengthening the CBI. The agency is short-staffed and no one seems to care. Even if the new Lokpal wing is created, it will not reduce the workload of the CBI as it is under-staffed," he said.