It has been alleged in the petition that in the last few years, the Modi government at the Center is misusing the investigation agencies like CBI and ED for political gains, so they are demanding immediate judicial intervention in this matter.
Logo of CBI and ED. (Representational photo: Wikipedia)
New Delhi: A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court in a ‘Modi surname’ defamation case, 14 opposition parties have moved the Supreme Court over the alleged misuse of central investigative agencies by the Narendra Modi government.
The opposition petition claims that while opposition leaders are being targeted in separate cases by central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), there is no investigation against tainted BJP leaders is happening.
The petition also states that once some of the leaders under investigation joined the BJP, the cases against them were dropped or suppressed by the central agencies.
The petition has assumed additional significance as the United Progressive Alliance parties such as the Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the National Conference of Jammu and Kashmir Apart from this, others are also included in this.
Aam Aadmi Party, YSR Congress, Bharat Rashtra Samithi, Telugu Desam Party, Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena, JDU, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Janata Dal (Secular), All India United Democratic Front are also in the petition parties, which makes it the biggest joint opposition action against the Modi government in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The petition has alleged that in the last few years the government is misusing the investigating agencies for political gains, so they are seeking immediate judicial intervention in the matter.
According to the petition, ‘a clear pattern of using the investigating agencies (particularly the CBI and ED) has emerged. They are being used to target, weaken and virtually crush the entire opposition and other outspoken citizens and imprison them for extended periods on dubious grounds.
The petition states that draconian laws (such as the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002) are often used, which make bail almost impossible, even though the conviction rate under it is very low.
To support their claim, opposition parties pointed out that since 2014 there has been a sharp increase in the number of cases registered by the ED, most of which appear to be targeted against critics and opponents of the Modi regime.
Arguing that the conviction rate in the cases registered in this regard is very low, the petition states that only ’23 accused have been convicted’ under the Money Laundering Act and most of the cases are ‘pending’.
The petition also states that even the CBI (which probed 72 political leaders between 2004-14, of whom 43 were from the opposition) is probing a total of 124 leaders after 2014, of whom 118 are from the opposition. belong to the parties. This means that 95 per cent of the cases were against opposition leaders.
The petition states that such instances demonstrate the ‘use of agencies as a tool of oppression after 2014’.
The petition states that P. Chidambaram, Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Sanjay Raut and other party leaders were arrested by the agencies, but Chief Ministers like Himanta Biswa Sharma, Narayan Rane or Shubhendu Adhikari, even Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who Those who ‘went over to the side of the government’ were either given a ‘clean chit’ in a ‘mysterious manner’ or the investigation of cases against them was slowed down by the agencies.
Opposition parties said such misuse of agencies ‘has a serious impact on legitimate and constitutionally protected political activity and speech across the country’ as it lowers the level of politics. Putting politicians under scrutiny forces them to defend themselves instead of engaging in serious political activity.
The petition states that frequent raids and arrests of political opposition are classic examples of democracies with growing authoritarianism.
Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared in the Supreme Court on behalf of the opposition. The court will hear the petition on April 5.
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