Karnataka Cabinet has decided to withdraw general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases in the State. The order was confirmed by state law minister H K Patil.
"The notification granting general consent for CBI to probe criminal cases in Karnataka state, under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, has been withdrawn," said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil after a meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Speaking to reporters, the state law minister stated that the decision to withdraw consent comes after the central agency was flagged as "biased".
"It has been done because it is clear that the CBI or the central government while using their instrumentalities are not using them judiciously. So, case-by-case we will verify and give (consent for CBI probe), general consent has been withdrawn," said minister Patil.
The Karnataka cabinet's decision comes after a police probe was ordered against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah into the alleged MUDA scam case. However, as per the law minister, the ban on CBI investigations has nothing to do with the accusations against the Congress leader.
With this decision, Karnataka has now joined the list of other states which have withdrawn their consent for CBI investigations. As of now, four states have decided to revoke consent for the CBI - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala.
This decision also comes amid the allegations put forth by opposition states that the BJP-led central government has been using agencies such as CBI and Ed to target opposition leaders, especially before elections.
