Chennai: The Uddhav Thackeray government has withdrawn the general consent extended by Maharashtra to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe cases in the State.
The decision implies that the CBI will need the State’s permission to enter its jurisdiction to carry out any investigation, effectively stripping the central agency of its powers to probe cases in Maharashtra.
The Sena-NCP-Congress government’s order represents a clear escalation of tensions with the BJP-led government in New Delhi.
The decision to block the CBI was taken at a meeting presided over by CM Uddhav Thackeray and attended by Ashok Chavan, Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, Principal Adviser to the CM Ajoy Mehta and the CM’s Additional Chief Secretary Ashish Kumar Singh.
Officials said the Maharashtra government’s decision would not impact the CBI investigation into the Sushant Singh Rajput death case since this probe is being conducted on orders of the Supreme Court and not under provisions that require a state to give its consent.
The Maharashtra government’s move comes hours after the CBI filed a case to investigate the ratings scam on the basis of a complaint filed in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
