Games probe committee is toothless, says PMO

The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has said prima facie the high-level Shunglu Committee appointed to look into issues related to the Commonwealth Games is toothless. HT reports.

The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has said prima facie the high-level Shunglu Committee appointed to look into issues related to the Commonwealth Games is toothless. The revelation comes as part of documents received by activist Subhash Agrawal in reply to his query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

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The PMO appointed the committee, headed by VK Shunglu, on October 25 to examine both international and national advisers, consultants and officials of the Games Organising Committee. A letter by members of the civil society, including RTI activist Arvind Kejariwal, asking about the panel’s status prompted Agrawal to write to the PMO, asking about the action taken on the letter.

“Prima facie it appears that its (committee’s) powers and jurisdiction do not derive from statute as is the case with the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED),” said Rajeev Topno, director in the PMO. The CVC, the CAG, the CBI and the ED, Topno added, “derive powers from Comptroller and Auditor General Act 1971, the Central Vigilance Commissioner Act 2003, the Delhi Police Establishment Act 1946, the Income Tax Act 1961, the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002.”