‘Reclaim credibility, public trust', CJI Ramana tells CBI, police
Ramana called for creating an "independent umbrella institution" to bring various investigating agencies under one roof.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Friday said the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) credibility has come under deep public scrutiny with the passage of time as its "actions and inactions" have raised questions in some cases, and police should reclaim social legitimacy and public trust, terming it as the "need of the hour."
Calling for creating an "independent umbrella institution" to bring various investigating agencies under one roof, Ramana said, "When it comes to the CBI, it possessed immense trust of the public in its initial phase. In fact, the Judiciary used to be flooded with requests for transfer of investigations to the CBI, as it was a symbol of impartiality and independence," news agency PTI quoted Ramana as saying.
"Whenever the citizenry doubted the skill and impartiality of its own state police, they sought an investigation by the CBI, as they wanted justice to be done. But, with the passage of time, like every other institution of repute, the CBI has also come under deep public scrutiny. Its actions and inactions have raised questions regarding its credibility, in some cases," Justice Ramana said.
The CJI, who was speaking at the 19th DP Kohli Memorial Lecture of CBI on "Democracy: Role and Responsibilities of Investigative Agencies," said there was an "immediate requirement for the creation of an independent umbrella institution for the investigating agencies to bring various agencies like CBI, SFIO, ED, etc under one roof".
Ramana said institutions, including the police and the investigative bodies, should not allow any authoritarian tendencies to creep in and need to function within the democratic framework as any deviation will hurt them and will weaken our democracy.
"All the institutions including the police and the investigative bodies uphold and strengthen the democratic values. They should not allow any authoritarian tendencies to creep in.
Ramana said the police and the investigative agencies may have De-Facto legitimacy, but yet, as institutions, they still have to gain social legitimacy.
"Police should work impartially and focus on crime prevention. They should also work in co-operation with the public to ensure law and order prevails in the society," he said.
"The need of the hour is to reclaim social legitimacy and public trust. The first step to gain the same is to break the nexus with the political executive," the CJI said.
He also stated that people hesitate to approach the police in times of despair as the image of the institution of police is regrettably tarnished by allegations of corruption, police excesses, lack of impartiality and close nexus with the political class.
"Often, the police officers approach us with the complaint that they are being harassed after the change in the regime," the CJI said.
"The truth is, that no matter how deficient and non-cooperative the other institutions maybe if you all stand by your ethics and stand united with integrity, nothing can come in the way of your duty. In fact, this stands true for all institutions," CJI said.
He also pointed out a few issues that are affecting the system, including a lack of infrastructure, sufficient manpower, and modern equipment. He also highlighted the lack of public prosecutors and standing counsels, seeking adjournments, arraying hundreds of witnesses, and filing voluminous documents in pending trials which are certain issues that leads to delays in trials.
(With inputs from agencies)
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