Trouble at the top: on CBI power play
Firm intervention is needed to end the unsavoury controversy in the CBI
At one level, what is going on in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is a ‘turf war(रस्साकशी)’, a battle(लड़ाई) of egos between two individuals(शख़्स/व्यक्ति) at the helm. But the unsavoury(फीका/बेकार ) developments involving the CBI Director and its Special Director are reflective(चिंतनशील/विचार-संबंधी) of a much deeper malaise(बेचैनी/घबराहट) — a big rot at the very heart of the premier(प्रमुख) investigating(जांच ) agency. That the CBI registered a First Information Report against its own Special Director is extraordinary(असाधारण/निराला). The most troubling(चिंतित करना/परेशान करना) aspect(स्वरूप/पक्ष) of the ongoing crisis(संकट) involving(शामिल/संयुक्त करना) Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is that only one of them will be proved right; either way(किसी भी तरह से), it is the agency that will be shown in a poor light. If the Director is justified in embarking(आरंभ/लगना) on a high-profile probe into bribery(रिश्वत/घूसखोरी) charges charges against Mr. Asthana, it can only mean that corruption(भ्रष्टाचार/भ्रष्टता) is so pervasive(फैलनेवाला/व्यापक) that even the second-in-command in the agency is not beyond demanding ₹3 crore to let someone off the hook. On the other hand, if Mr. Asthana is shown(प्रदर्शन करना/दिखाना) to be wrongly implicated(फंसाना/अपराध में फंसना), and his own charges — set out in a complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission — that other CBI officers are interfering(दखल देना/हस्तक्षेपपूर्ण) in ongoing probes are proved right, the situation will be no better. It cannot be forgotten that this controversy was preceded only recently with two Directors of the CBI coming under a cloud. The Supreme Court held that the charges that Ranjit Sinha, when heading the agency, sought(प्रयास करना/मांग की) to help the accused(आरोपी) in several(कई/अनेक) cases and interfered in ongoing probes were ‘prima facie(‘पहली नजर) credible(विश्वसनीय)’; as a result, he was asked to keep away from the 2G telecom cases. Similarly(एक भांति/के अनुरूप), A.P. Singh, another director, was booked last year for alleged(निर्दिष्ट/थोपा हुआ) links with meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Clearly, the existing procedure (प्रक्रिया/कार्यप्रणाली)for the appointment of CBI Directors, which is made by a committee comprising(शामिल/समेत ) the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition(विपक्ष), has notstripped(छीन लिया) the office of controversy(वादविवाद).
And now as well, it is the Qureshi case that continues to haunt the agency. Its investigating officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, has been arrested on the charge of fabricating(जालसाज़ी के रूप में करना/जाल रचना) a statement by a Hyderabad-based businessman “to corroborate baseless charges” made by Mr. Asthana against Mr. Verma in a complaint to the CVC. The CBI labours under a dual image: an independent agency in the perception(अनुभूति/समझना) of those disillusioned(मायूस करना/निराश करना) with the conduct of the jurisdiction(क्षेत्राधिकार ) police, and a ‘caged parrot’ or a handmaiden of the ruling party at the Centre in the eyes of the national Opposition. Recent developments, in which Central agencies are seen as targeting those in Opposition parties, add to the latter perception and do not augur well(अच्छी तरह से) for its credibility. To a large extent(हद तक/मात्रा), the political leadership must bear the primary responsibility for such controversies. It is difficult to ignore the fact that Mr. Asthana’s appointment as Special Director was made despite(के बावजूद/विरोध से) Mr. Verma’s vehement (जोरदार )objections(आपत्तियां) about his suitability(उपयुक्तता/मेल/अनुरूपता), something the CVC chose to overrule. In suchcircumstances(परिस्थितियों/अवस्था), it is up to the CVC and the Centre to address the present crisis. A good place to start will be to take Mr. Asthana, whose name already figures in a case, temporarily out of the agency to ensure an impartial(न्यायी/निष्पक्ष ) probe(जांच).
Important Vocabulary
1.Reflective(चिंतनशील/विचार-संबंधी)
Synonyms: contemplative, deliberate, meditative, studious, cogitating
Antonyms: ignorant, unthoughtful
2.Unsavory(फीका/बेकार )
Synonyms: distasteful, nasty, objectionable, obnoxious, shady
Antonyms: agreeable, appetizing, delicious, delightful, good
3.Extraordinary(असाधारण/निराला)
Synonyms: amazing, bizarre, curious, exceptional, fantastic
Antonyms: average, bad, believable, common, commonplace
4.Crisis(संकट)
Synonyms:catastrophe, change, confrontation, crunch, deadlock
Antonyms: agreement, benefit, blessing, breakthrough, calm
5.Troubling(चिंतित करना/परेशान करना)
Synonyms: afflict, agitate, annoy, burden, concern
Antonyms: aid, assist, calm, comfort, delight
6.Malaise(बेचैनी/घबराहट)
Synonyms: angst, anxiety, despair, discomfort, disquiet
Antonyms: calmness, cheer, comfort, ease, good health
7.Embarking(आरंभ/लगना)
Synonyms: commence, enter, launch,, board, emplane
Antonyms: cease, end, finish, stop, disembark
8.Implicated(फंसाना/अपराध में फंसना),
Synonyms: involved, suspected, guilty, suspicious
9.Sought(प्रयास करना/मांग की)
Synonyms: desired, hunted, needed
10.Similarly(एक भांति/के अनुरूप),
Synonyms: alike, correspondingly, equivalently, furthermore, in addition
Antonyms: differently
11.Comprising(शामिल/समेत )
Synonyms: amount to, compose, constitute, contain, cover
Antonyms: abandon, destroy, exclude, neglect, ruin
12.Stripped(छीन लिया)
Synonyms: deprived, bare, denuded, exposed, peeled
13.Alleged(निर्दिष्ट/थोपा हुआ)
Synonyms: purported, so-called, stated, supposed, averred
Antonyms: certain, definite, sure
14.Disillusioned(मायूस करना/निराश करना)
Synonyms: disenchanted, embittered, broken, debunked, disabused
Antonyms: enchanted, encouraged
15.Suitability(उपयुक्तता/मेल/अनुरूपता),
Synonyms: appropriateness, fitness, propriety, agreement
Antonyms: inappropriateness, unsuitableness
16.Vehement (जोरदार )
Synonyms: angry, ardent, emphatic, enthusiastic, fervent
Antonyms: apathetic, calm, cool, dispassionate, gentle
17.Impartial(न्यायी/निष्पक्ष )
Synonyms: candid, detached, disinterested, dispassionate, equitable
Antonyms: biased, interested, involved, partial, passionate
18.Probe(जांच).
Synonyms: examination, exploration, inquest, inquiry, research
19.Perception(अनुभूति/समझना)
Synonyms:approach, attention, attitude, awareness, concept
Antonyms: concrete, ignorance, stupidity, thing, unconsciousness
20.Fabricating(जालसाज़ी के रूप में करना/जाल रचना)
Synonyms: assemble, concoct, construct, contrive, dream up
Antonyms: demolish, destroy, ruin, disarrange, divide
