This decision requires CBI to obtain permission from Maharashtra to conduct an investigation in the state.
New Delhi:
The government led by Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra on Wednesday withdrew its general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation in the state, laying the groundwork for a new face-to-face with the BJP. This decision requires the central agency to obtain permission from the state government to conduct investigations in the state. Previously, several opposition-led states, including Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and more recently Rajasthan, had withdrawn their general consent, shutting the doors of the CBI.
The Maharashtra government’s move also comes hours after the CBI filed a complaint to investigate the ratings scam based on a complaint filed in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai police, who accused three channels, including Republic TV, of rigging ratings, are investigating the case. Republic TV has denied any wrongdoing.
Speculation is that this could very well become the second example of an investigation moving from the Mumbai police to the CBI via a state run by the BJP or the NDA, as in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
Two months ago, in the Sushant Singh Rajput case, an FIR was filed in Bihar and the Supreme Court order in the matter ordered the CBI to resume the investigation from the Mumbai police.
The handing over of the matter to the CBI in the Sushant Rajput case had led to a huge row between the ruling Maharashtra alliance and the BJP, which rules Bihar in alliance with Nitish Kumar.
The Supreme Court’s order ensures that the state government’s decision will not affect the agency’s investigations into the case.
The question of a CBI investigation into the Sushant Rajput affair had led to a huge row between the ruling Maharashtra alliance and the BJP, which rules Bihar in alliance with Nitish Kumar.
Mumbai police had been targeted by a section about their handling of the case amid speculation that the 34-year-old actor, who was found dead in his Mumbai apartment in June, could have been murdered.
Republic TV, which has sharply criticized the Mumbai police, accused them of carrying out a vendetta in connection with the hearing case. The channel called for an investigation by the CBI into allegations by the Mumbai police that they rigged TV ratings for profit.
Saturday, following a complaint from “Golden Rabbit
Communications, “Lucknow police registered a case and Yogi Adityanath’s government recommended an investigation by the CBI. Within 24 hours, the central government cleared the proposal.
