West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
West Bengal on Friday withdrew the 'general consent' accorded to the CBI to conduct raids or carry out investigations in the state, news agency PTI reported.
Earlier, Andhra Pradesh had also withdrawn the ‘general consent' to the premier investigation agency.A 'confidential' Andhra Pradesh government order withdrawing the 'general consent' accorded to the CBI to exercise its authority in the state, issued by Principal Secretary (Home) A R Anuradha on November 8, was "leaked" late Thursday night.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had come out in open support to the decision taken by her Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu over the issue.
"What Chandrababu Naidu has done is absolutely right. The BJP is using the CBI and other agencies to pursue its own political interests and vendetta," she said.
Read Also |'No Entry': Chandrababu Naidu bars CBI from entering Andhra Pradesh
The general consent, accorded to the CBI by the then Left Front government in 1989, enabled the central agency to conduct any investigation without taking separate
permission from the state government.
With this decision, the CBI would henceforth require permission from the West Bengal government to carry out any sort of investigation except those ordered by the courts, the official at the state secretariat said.
In the emerging situation, the officials believe that the ongoing investigations in the Saradha, Narada and Rose Valley ponzi scam cases would not be affected since those probes were being conducted according to court orders.
However, in other cases, where there were no court orders, the central agency would require consent of the state government to carry out its investigations.
Incidentally, the Andhra Pradesh chief minister is likely to visit Kolkata to meet Banerjee on Monday. Both the leaders are expected to hold talks at the state
secretariat here ahead of the opposition conclave in New Delhi next week.
(With PTI inputs)
