CBI junks probe into verdicts of tribunals

 Having wasted its resources into carrying out painstaking investigations over a period of two years into certain important cases, the country’s premier investigating agency, the CBI, has now realised that “it should not probe the decisions” given quasi-judicial bodies or appellate tribunals, like Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT). However, the agency may look into the matter only if it finds strong material evidence indicating “quid pro quo” on the part of any officials of these bodies. Talking to this newspaper, CBI director Ranjit Sinha said, “We have decided not to probe decisions taken by the quasi-judicial bodies in the country. Members of these bodies are protected under Judicial Protection Act.” If the agency finds evidence of “quid pro quo” against officials of these bodies, then only the CBI will think of initiating probe against them, he said. The CBI recently closed its investigations in all 11 cases registered to probe decisions given by various benches of the Income-Tax Appellate Tribunal. In majority of the cases, the agency concluded that charges against judges of various benches “couldn’t be substantiated”. Initially, the agency had registered 13 preliminary enquiries (PEs) to probe decisions given by the ITAT benches, including Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Guwahati. “Out of these, five PEs were closed and remaining eight enquiries were converted into 11 regular cases. All these 11 cases have been closed and the agency has also filed closure reports before the competent courts,” sources said. Investigations into only one case have not been closed so far because its a disproportionate assets (DA) case, they added. “The first PE related to ITAT was registered in April 2012 against 15 persons of the Kolkata bench. Role of at least 15 members of the bench, including its judicial members, was under the scanner of the agency. After two years of marathon investigations by the CBI sleuths, the agency closed its investigations on February 24,”