“There are around 100 high-valued bank fraud cases that could not be registered due to the refusal of states for specific consent under Section 6 of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (under which the CBI) operates due to the withdrawal of the general consent by the concerned state governments,” the agency said in its report to the PMO.
The states, where the CBI investigations into the bank frauds are installed because of the non-BJP government’s attitude, include Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. Mumbai has the largest number of banks and the CBI is unable to act fast in the banking frauds there.
A top CBI official said the agency has issued a “lookout circular” against the top management of the Gujarat-based ABG Shipyard in a Rs 23,000 crore alleged bank fraud case to stop any person of the company to flee the country via airports and border crossings, but it is facing a challenge in the states that have withdrawn the general consent to its operations and asking the state police to probe such bank frauds.
He said the CBI requires a general consent of the states for probing the cases in the jurisdiction of the states since police and public order are the state subjects under the Constitution.
