MADURAI: Observing that public trust in the CBI has eroded due to “lopsided” investigations, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Monday suggested a series of measures to revamp the agency’s investigation process and restore its credibility.
Justice KK Ramakrishnan recommended that the CBI director directly supervise investigations to ensure proper inclusion of accused in FIRs and final reports and to monitor the collection and omission of evidence. He also urged the director to appoint a legal team within the agency to guide officers on legal principles and to prevent registration of innocuous cases.
Justice Ramakrishnan made the observations while acquitting eight persons, including a former chief manager of a Tirunelveli bank, who were convicted in 2019 for allegedly defrauding the bank of Rs 2 crore by sanctioning and availing loans in violation of guidelines. The judge noted that the bank had conducted inspections long after the loans were settled, resulting in no actual loss. Despite this, the CBI registered a case and filed a final report without considering the facts, he pointed out.