The Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday hit back at the allegations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and said that it would not give consent for the central agency to operate in the state. It also added that any corruption related cases in the state, even those involving central government officials, would be dealt with by Andhra's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Pointing out that central agencies like the CBI were welcome to work with state agencies, in a statement, the state's Principal Secretary (Home) A R Anuradha said, "ACB will be the agency that deals with corruption cases in the state of Andhra Pradesh."
Speaking to reporters, ACB DG Thakur also defended the move, saying, “We won’t sit and watch if there are complaints of corrupt against officials and all public servants in the state. How can an anti-corruption agency sit silent when it receives complaints of graft against State or Central officials?"
The latest flashpoint comes weeks after the Andhra government had withdrawn “general consent” to the CBI for raids and investigations in the state without its permission.
The CBI on Friday accused the Andhra Pradesh government of ‘non-cooperation’ and said that it ‘leaked’ the contents of a request letter to the state’s ACB.
Following the latest arrest by the ACB, the CBI in a statement said, “The government of AP did not issue the specific consent as requested by the CBI. Instead the details were shared by the state’s Home Department and with the state ACB.”
The state government on August 3 this year had issued orders giving its general consent to the CBI to exercise its powers and jurisdiction in the state. The same has now been revoked as per Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.
It is under this Act that CBI exercises its jurisdiction in states. The state governments every year issue notifications to give a ‘general consent' to the investigating agency to probe corruption cases.
Last month, the Andhra government had withdrawn "general consent" to the CBI for raids and investigations in the state without its permission.