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In letter to LS Speaker, Tharoor claims CBI breached privilege during raids at Karti Chidambaram's house
In the letter, Tharoor alleged a serious breach of privilege that committee member Karti Chidambaram was subjected to earlier this month, adding that the manner in which conventions were ‘blatantly disregarded’ during a probe by CBI was distressing.
Congress MP and the chairperson of the parliamentary panel on information technology Shashi Tharoor has written to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla over the alleged seizure of Karti Chidambaram's ‘highly confidential’ notes related to the panel during a raid by the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI), PTI reported. Tharoor added that the move constituted ‘breach’ of the committee and as the member's privilege. This after Karti Chidambaram in a letter to Lok Sabha speaker had levelled the same charges against the central probe agency.
In the letter, Tharoor alleged a serious breach of privilege that committee member Karti Chidambaram was subjected to earlier this month, adding that the manner in which conventions were ‘blatantly disregarded’ during a probe by CBI was distressing.
"During these raids, which have also raised serious questions concerning the brazen appropriation of investigative agencies by the executive and their subsequent misuse to target political opponents of the current ruling dispensation, I have been informed by the concerned committee member that several key papers relating to the committee's deliberations were seized, including highly confidential notes maintained by the member for the purposes of questioning witnesses, examination of evidence and so on, as well as documents that were submitted for the perusal of members of the committee only," PTI quoted Tharoor as saying in the letter.
Tharoor pointed out that all the deliberations and proceedings of the committee are to be treated as confidential till the time it is presented before the House.
Citing the rule which states that "no part of the evidence, oral or written, report or proceedings of the committee which has not been laid on the table shall be open to inspection by any one except under the authority of the Speaker", Tharoor said Birla would agree, the maintenance of such rules of procedure are essential.
"It is a fragrant violation of the rules of confidentiality that guide the functioning of parliamentary committees. Further, this also adversely affects the ability of the committee to carry out its deliberations, given that documents and proceedings that should not be available to any other individuals than committee members, have been seized during the aforementioned raids," he said.
These actions by the investigative agencies constitute a serious disregard for parliamentary conventions and the independence of the legislative branch, and as such, warrant urgent remedial action, Tharoor said, urging the speaker to take cognisance of the matter.
(With PTI inputs)
