10 states withdraw general consent to CBI to investigate cases: Centre

New Delhi: Ten states, including Tamil Nadu and Telangana, have withdrawn general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases in their respective jurisdictions, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

According to section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the CBI needs consent from the respective state governments to conduct investigations in their jurisdiction.

Punjab, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Mizoram, Telangana, Meghalaya, and Tamil Nadu have withdrawn the general consent, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.

To a question, whether the Union government proposed to amend section 6 of the DSPE Act, the minister said, “No”.

Asserting that withdrawal of general consent by some states has led to severe limitations in the CBI’s powers to investigate crucial cases, a Parliamentary panel had recently said there was a dire need to enact a new law and give wider powers to the federal agency so that it can probe cases without a “state’s consent and interference”.