NEW DELHI: The CBI courted a string of controversies in 2014, including those surrounding its chief Ranjit Sinha and the Supreme Court’s reprimands over closure reports in coal scam cases and flip-flops in 2G probe, as it tried to keep its reputation as the nation’s premier investigating agency. The case of the mysteriopus death of the Badaun sisters and arrest of a clutch of high-profile politicians in the Saradha scam and Syndicate Bank CMD S K Jain in a bribery case were some of the other issues that kept the agency in the headlines.
Sinha, who retired earlier this month, kept attracting media attention as the Supreme Court made scathing observations against his purported meetings with the suspects in the 2G scam and coal cases and even directed him to recuse from the probe- a first in the history of the agency. The issue of the purported visitors’ diary of Sinha’s residence, which carried details of his alleged meetings with the suspects in the scams, and the letter written to the then Attorney General allegedly seeking re-investigation of 2G case brought forth the ire of the Supreme Court on him.
The Supreme Court had also asked the CBI not to take any final decision on coal scam cases after two NGOs leveled allegations against Sinha. The apex court, however, did not take any adverse action against him.
Ranjit Sinha was succeeded by Anil Sinha, a 1979-batch soft-spoken IPS officer from Bihar cadre, as CBI chief on December 2. The selection was made through collegium comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leader of largest Opposition party Congress Mallikarjuna Kharge and Chief Justice of India H L Dattu. This was the first-ever selection of the CBI chief through the new process as provided under the Lokpal Act.
In May, the Supreme Court ordered CBI to take over probe in the over Rs 2,000 crore Saradha scam in which about 25 lakh gullible investors were duped of their money. After CBI turned the heat on the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee government accused the Centre of using the agency as a ‘political tool’. The agency went ahead and arrested a few Trinamool leaders, including state transport minister Madan Mitra.
So far, CBI has registered six cases against the Saradha group of companies, 44 cases in Odisha against the some other chit fund companies and four more cases in West Bengal against non-Saradha chit fund companies.
In the midst of it all, CBI also started probe in another huge scam of over Rs 47,000 crore spread across Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan involving the Pearls group. The modus operandi was similar as investors were promised attractive returns and a piece of land. With over five crore investors, the company’s business interests were spread across India, Australia and other countries.
Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, Managing Director of the Pearls group, who was booked by the CBI in February, is yet to be arrested as the agency claims that he is “cooperating” in the probe.
CBI also started probe against NSEL promoter Jignesh Shah and his company for allegedly duping the investors and state-run companies.
In the final charge-sheet in the Ishrat Jahan case, the agency didn’t mention the name of Amit Shah, maintaining there was no evidence against him. The agency charge-sheeted former IB special director Rajinder Kumar and three other officers of Intelligence Bureau in the case.
There was controversy after the agency started probe against former disinvestment secretary Pradeep Baijal and former SEBI chief CB Bhave. The agency, however, had to close the probe against Bhave probe.
In the Badaun case, in which two teenaged girls were found dead under mysterious circumstances, CBI finally concluded that it was suicide and not a case of rape cum murder as widely reported.
Several alleged white-collar crimes kept the agency on its toes during the year as it arrested Syndicate Bank CMD, CEO of Censor Board, Vice-Chairman of Bhushan Steel and the Registrar of Companies in Chennai among others in different cases of bribery.
It also attempted to close seven coal scam cases including the one allegedly involving Hindalco. Former coal secretary P C Parakh and others were questioned. But question marks were raised on why former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kumar Mangalam Birla were not examined. A special CBI court asked the agency to record the statement of Manmohan Singh, who held the charge of coal ministry at that time.
In an off-shoot of the 2G scam, the agency filed charge sheet in the Aircel Maxis case against former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi besides Malaysian telecom tycoon T Ananda Krishnan and other executives.
The agency recorded the statement of the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in connection with the FIPB clearance given to the deal.
In connection with yet another high-profile case arising out of the tapping of lobbyist Niira Radia’s phone calls, the CBI informed the apex court that it could not find any criminality in majority of the 14 preliminary enquiries started by it.
TOI | Dec 29, 2014
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