Panel worried over vacant posts in CBI

New Delhi: A parliamentary committee expressed concerns over vacant posts in the CBI, which is working without a regular chief, and asked the Central government to take proactive steps to ensure that it does not remain under-staffed.

The committee also objected to the snail pace of the International Centre of Excellence in Forensic Science, CBI, which is yet to get approval from the home ministry. “Shortage of personnel at various levels in CBI is a perennial problem. The committee has expressed its concern on this on several occasions. Vacancy in any organisation, to a large extent, can be anticipated well in advance and proactive efforts should be initiated to complete necessary procedure to fill up the vacancies on time. The CBI seems to have failed in anticipating such a situation,” the panel said in a report tabled in the Parliament.

“If so, the rules can be revisited so as is eliminate the delays. In view of this, the committee reiterates that the government should take proactive steps in filling up of vacancies well in advance, so that the premier institution like CBI do not remain under-staffed, which certainly will have bearing on its performance,” the report said.

CBI or the Central Bureau of Investigation is working without a regular chief after the agency’s Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were divested of their powers and sent on leave for accusing each other of corruption and other irregularities. The Committee observes that the level of vacant positions in executive ranks, law officers and technical officers is about 16 per cent, 28 per cent and 56 per cent respectively.

“At the top level, out of four posts of Special Director/Additional Director, three are lying vacant. CBI, in their presentation, has stated that they are feeling the impact of vacancies due to rising burden of investigations. The Committee is deeply concerned about the vacancies remaining unfilled in the CBI due to various reasons,” it said. The panel noted that increasing number of cases are now being referred to the CBI pertaining to areas like internal security, cyber-crimes, corruption, financial irregularities and the nation cannot afford to have its premier investigative agency understaffed and thus ill-prepared. It asked the government to consider making terms of deputation to the CBI more rewarding in order to retain capable officers and to attract best officers from the state police forces, central paramilitary forces and the Intelligence Bureau, among others.