The withdrawal of consent means that the agency will not be able to investigate any case in the state without the state government’s permission.
Meghalaya has withdrawn consent to the CBI, becoming the ninth state to do so in the past few years. The move comes despite the Conrad Sangma-led National People’s Party being a part of the BJP’s National Democratic Alliance.
Barring Mizoram, all other states that have withdrawn consent to the CBI are ruled by Opposition parties.
“It is true that Meghalaya has withdrawn consent to the CBI. We do not know the reasons,” a government official said.
Earlier, besides Mizoram, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Kerala had withdrawn consent to the central probe agency. The withdrawal of consent means that the agency will not be able to investigate any case in the state without the state government’s permission.
Mizoram was the first state to withdraw this in 2015. The state was ruled by the Congress at the time and the chief minister then was Lal Thanhawla. In 2018, the Mizo National Front (MNF) under Zoramthanga came to power, but despite his party being an NDA ally, the consent to the CBI was not restored.
All Opposition states have withdrawn consent alleging that the CBI is not fair and impartial in its probe and has become a tool in the hands of the Centre to target Opposition leaders.
The withdrawal of the consent to CBI in Meghalaya comes in the backdrop of allegations of corruption against James P K Sangma, the brother of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma. James was accused of being involved in massive corruption in the implementation of the Soubhagya Scheme in the state, with the Congress demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam. The scheme aims at providing electricity connections to all households, urban and rural, in the country.
The chief minister had divested James Sangma of the Home portfolio after allegations of him allowing syndicates to carry out illegal mining and transportation of coal surfaced.
In November 2018, the West Bengal government, led by Mamata Banerjee withdrew the general consent that had been accorded to the CBI by the previous Left Front government back 1989. West Bengal announced its decision within hours of Andhra Pradesh, then ruled by N Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, taking a similar call.
“What Chandrababu Naidu has done is absolutely right. The BJP is using the CBI and other agencies to pursue its own political interests and vendetta,” Banerjee had said.
After Naidu’s government was replaced by that of Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy in 2019, Andhra Pradesh restored the consent.
The Congress government of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh withdrew consent in January 2019. Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Jharkhand followed in 2020.
