CBI investigation should be a sword for truth but not a shield for power : J.S.Rawat, Supreme Court advocate
The senior advocate on record of Supreme Court of India J. S. Rawat has catagorically said that the CBI investigation should be a sword for truth but not a shield for power.
Speaking on the recent order of the state government recommending the Ankita Bhandari case for CBI probe senior advocate Supreme Court Rawat said that if the government’s order for a CBI inquiry is merely an attempt to divert public anger and protect the VIPs allegedly involved in the crime, it would be a blatant betrayal of democracy.
Expressing his apprehension over the pre CBI probe announcement Rawat expressed surprise and shock saying that the sudden entry of a “saint” into the case has only deepened the suspicion —the truth remains unrevealed adding : If the investigation’s purpose is not to arrive at the full truth, it will fail not only legally but also morally.
The most serious fact is that the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami without any investigation, publicly gave a clean chit.
Even more serious is the fact that public statements made by persons holding constitutional and political positions cannot be ignored.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, who is himself the Chief Minister of the state, allegedly publicly gave a clean chit to the alleged VIP without any investigation claimed supreme court Rawat, advocate on record in Supreme Court.
Similarly, statements by local MLA Renu Bisht, Panchayat member Arti Gaur, and other ministers, MPs and political officials have sent a message of patronage, not impartiality said Rawat to vindicate his stand.
In a constitutional democracy, no Chief Minister has the right to distribute certificates of innocence even before the investigation begins said Rawat emphatically.
He said : Such statements directly impact the independence and impartiality of the investigation, and therefore, these statements and their impact must be brought under the ambit of a CBI investigation. He pointed out some of his significant points that he thinks must include for a credible CBI investigation : The points are as follows:
Mobile forensics, call records, and location data of the individuals whose names have surfaced.
• The timing, basis, and purpose of political statements made in favor of the alleged VIP.
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And most importantly—the role of the executive, including the Chief Minister, who attempted to influence public perception even before the investigation.
It must be made clear:
No position is above scrutiny. No statement is beyond scrutiny.
If the CBI investigation avoids touching on the role of those in power, it will be seen not as justice, but as institutional complicity.
Justice does not need support. Justice requires a fearless, impartial, and comprehensive investigation emphasised Jaswant Singh Rawat while shedding light on the pre and post developments related to Ankita Bhandari case and the legal ifs and buts.
