STATE GOVT RELUCTANTLY REQUESTS TO CENTRE FOR CBI PROBE IN GUDLAR CASE

PANJIM: The state government has reluctantly requested the Centre to conduct separate investigation through the Central Bureau of Investigation into the alleged drug trade-police nexus case and the Sunil Gudlar case respectively, by addressing two letters to the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, within a span of 10 days.

Reacting to the recent denial of the CBI before the division bench of Bombay High Court at Goa that the state government has not recommended any probe as regards the alleged drug trade-police nexus case to the CBI, the Chief Minister, Mr Digambar Kamat on Wednesday insisted about the case being handed over to the particular investigation agency.

Speaking to the media at his residence, the Chief Minister said the Home Minister, Mr Ravi Naik had already informed about such a decision to the House, during the recently concluded assembly session.  "In fact, the Home Minister had also tabled in the House, the related communication documents written by the Chief Secretary to the central government, requesting to probe the alleged nexus," he added.

"The communication is not directly carried out with the CBI but the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, which is the recommending authority to the CBI," he added, observing that the communication may not have been conveyed to the CBI by the ministry, till date.

Later in the day, the Chief Secretary, Mr S K Srivastava told The Navhind Times that he has in fact, written two letters addressed to Dr S K Sarkar, the joint secretary (service and vigilance) of the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions. "The particular ministry hands over the recommended cases from various states to the CBI," he added. The Chief Secretary said that he has written two letters to the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions; the first one dated January 21, 2011 recommending probe into the alleged drug trade-police nexus involving Israeli national, Yaniv Benaim alias Atala and seven policemen, while the second letter dated January 31, 2011 recommending investigation into the Sunil Gudlar case, wherein the suspended PSI was caught on tape while selling drugs to two ladies.

Mr S S Gavali, the CBI superintendent of police in Goa, had informed the Bombay High Court through an affidavit, earlier this week that "the state government had not issued any authorisation to the CBI to take over investigation of the case as required under the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946." He had added that the case should not be handed over to the CBI because "none of the accused involved in the case are central government employees and therefore, the case did not fall within the ambit of the CBI jurisdiction."

The CBI had also told the court that the Narcotics Control Bureau was more suitable to handle such investigations.