Naidu Govt Tells CBI: Stay Out Of AP

The Andhra Pradesh government has effectively barred the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) from interfering in any case that falls within the state’s borders.

The decision comes in the wake of the controversies surrounding the country’s premier investigative agency ongoing chaos in the investigative agency. The government withdrew the ‘General Consent’ given to the members of Delhi Special Police Establishment to exercise powers and jurisdiction in the state. In the absence of this permission, the CBI cannot interfere with any case that takes place within the limits of Andhra Pradesh. Going forward, the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) will carry out all the duties of the CBI.

State chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu was a close ally of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi until March this year when they fell out and the TDP walked out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) govt. Since then, Naidu has been relentless in his attacks on the Centre. A party spokesman accused the Modi government of curbing the freedom of the central agency. “This decision has been taken in wake of incidents happening in CBI since last 6 months. It lost its independence due to the involvement of Modi-led Union government which is using CBI as tools against political opponents by means of preparing fabricated statements,” the party stated.

—India Legal Bureau