The BJP-led Opposition on Thursday grilled the Government over the tardy progress in setting up special courts to try CBI cases as directed by the Supreme Court and sought a timeframe for implementing this project.
Raising the matter during the Question Hour, BJP member Chandan Mitra said though the Supreme Court had asked the Government in 2009 to set up 22 special courts for CBI cases, the Government had managed to set up only 15 and gave “peculiar reasons” for the delay.
Citing the Government’s written reply to his question, Mitra said it mentioned that no suitable location was available in Odisha besides dropping the project in Panchkula in Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir altogether. Pointing out that the apex court wanted a total of 210 such courts to come up in various States, he asked the Government to spell out the timeframe for meeting this target.
His party colleague Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Investment in judicial infrastructure is a must for good governance” and sought to know steps taken to reduce the pending number of CBI cases.
In his reply, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions V Narayanasamy said the Supreme Court wrote to the Government in 2009 to set up 69 courts and 66 of them was now functioning.
Besides this, the apex court asked the Government in 2012 to set up 22 more courts out of which 15 were now functioning, he said. The Central Government was paying the State Governments for hiring public prosecutors, inspectors and other related staff, he maintained.
As regards Mitra’s observation about Panchkula project, the Minister said the Haryana Government was unable to provide land. The Centre then approached the Jammu & Kashmir Government, which said there was not enough number of CBI cases necessitating a special court there, he said adding the project was, therefore, dropped.
Replying to a supplementary posed by Prasad, the Minister said the Government does not interfere in investigations being carried by CBI. “Our Government never interfered in investigations by CBI...UPA Government will never interfere in CBI investigation,” Narayanasamy said.
The Minister also said 88 posts, including that of public prosecutors, for the 22 courts for CBI have been sanctioned and states were urged to provide infrastructure and manpower for the courts.