The events leading up to the Supreme Court intervention in the shameful CBI saga are proof of how things are going seriously wrong with various agencies that are meant to deal with corporate and other crime in this country. This should open the eyes of one and all to the dangerous drifts the long-established institutions of democracy are taking. In the whole episode, neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi as leader of the nation nor his Government have any excuses in allowing things to escalate into a crisis point.
There’s no point in saying that this is a wake-up call to Modi or his Government because his five-year-term ends in a matter of a few more months. This, rather, is time to evaluate the performance of the PM and his government, in order to help the voters make up their mind. Things inside the CBI were heading for a climax for the past few months, as is evident from special director Rakesh Asthana’s listing of charges against his own boss, which is now before the Central Vigilance Commission. Both are accused of taking crores in bribes. Also, the two could not get along well, and took pot shots at each other. This has demoralised the rank and file of the national probe agency and brought a bad reputation to it and to the nation’s governance systems.
What brought the CBI to this pass were also the meddling in its affairs by political bosses for many years now and prominently during the UPA regime as well. This had prompted the Supreme Court to call it a “caged parrot.” The role of top CBI officials in handling the probe into the coal scam etc., was both unprofessional and shameful.
The Congress Party is well within its right to stage protests across the nation as it did on Friday over the way things were shaping up in the CBI. But it cannot hide its own contributions towards bringing things to this level. The allegation that the present cleansing operation in the CBI has to do with the Rafale investigations might, prima facie, be far-fetched. Bofors produced only smoke and no fire. Those in power have their own ways to skirt difficult situations with ease.
The Supreme Court intervention at this juncture is justified, but broadly speaking, courts need to give freedom to the executive to do its job. Else, all the other pillars of democracy will slowly crumble and national interests could thus be compromised.