New Delhi, Aug. 24: The Supreme Court today directed the Bengal government to provide 40 police personnel to the CBI team probing the Saradha scam after the central agency cited severe manpower shortage.
The apex court also asked the CBI to give details of vacant positions within two weeks so that it can direct the Centre to take immediate steps for filling up the posts.
As an ad hoc measure, the court directed the Bengal government to provide the central agency with six deputy superintendents of police, four inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors and 20 constables.
A bench of Justices T.S. Thakur and C. Nagappan passed the direction after solicitor-general Ranjit Kumar told the court that the Bengal government had offered to provide only three DSPs, two inspectors, five sub-inspectors and 10 constables, which he described as grossly inadequate.
Kumar said the state government's offer came after three attempts by the CBI joint director in charge of Bengal to meet the director-general of Bengal police.
A CBI officer told the court that the agency needed 265 additional teams to probe the 265 non-Saradha cases across the state. The CBI suggested that these cases be handed over to state investigating agencies.
The bench did not accept the suggestion.
Justice Thakur, heading the bench, then directed the Bengal government to provide a list of 12 DSPs, eight inspectors, 20 sub-inspectors and 40 Constables to the CBI.
From among the list, the CBI has to pick six DSPs, four inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors and 20 constables for assisting it in the Saradha probe.
The court directed that these personnel be taken on deputation after Kumar pleaded that the officers remain under complete administrative and disciplinary control of the CBI during the probe.
In a lighter vein, Justice Thakur observed: "The state police are habituated to sit in police stations and take bribes. Let them now come in the open and work for the CBI."
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for Bengal, quipped: "It's more profitable here (CBI)."
The solicitor-general told the court that of the sanctioned strength of 4,544 in the CBI, as many as 750 posts were lying vacant, severely hampering probes across the country, including the Vyapam scam.
"Why don't you appoint? It is your government after all. What is your current liability (problems)? We need to examine whether we need to intervene. What are the reasons for a delay in the appointments? You must set your own house in order, " Justice Thakur observed.
The bench then directed the CBI to file an affidavit detailing its current, the number of cases pending and other such information.
The matter will be heard on September 14.
Officer exchange
Attorney-general Mukul Rohatgi today told the Supreme Court that the CBI could utilise police personnel from Bengal and Madhya Pradesh in assisting the probes into the Vyapam and Saradha scams, respectively.
"I will ask the Madhya Pradesh officers to investigate the Saradha case in Bengal and those who earlier probed the Saradha case can help in the Vyapam scam investigation," Rohatgi told a bench of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice Amitav Roy.
"In that way there would be no conflict of interest and we can overcome the shortage of staff," he added.
Rohatgi also said that the Centre would write to the states for sending its officers on deputation but added that the process might take some time.
The CBI informed the court it had so far taken up 104 cases relating to the Vyapam scam but sought three weeks for taking over documents relating to 25 other cases. The apex court accordingly granted the agency three weeks.
