New Delhi: The Parliament passed Tuesday two bills to extend the tenure of the chiefs of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to a maximum of five years from the earlier two years, with Rajya Sabha approving them by voice vote amid a walkout by the Opposition. The Lok Sabha had cleared the two bills December 9 which were brought to replace ordinances issued last month in this regard.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh moved ‘The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021’ for consideration in Rajya Sabha to extend the maximum duration of the CBI director’s tenure to five years Tuesday. Most of the opposition parties, however, soon walked out over the issue of the suspension of their 12 members.
Immediately after the passage of the bill by a voice vote, Singh tabled the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to extend the tenure of ED director to up to five years from two years which was also passed by voice vote.
Earlier, the Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan proposed for a joint debate on bills but it was opposed by several members following which Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh decided to take them separately.
While moving the bill on the CBI chief’s tenure extension, Singh said the government is working to check corruption and to ensure and enhance transparency. In recent years, he said, the nation is faced with the triple menace of corruption, black money and international crime that is linked to drug trafficking, terrorism and criminal offences, and all these are a threat to the security and financial structure of India.
The methodology of crime has changed and is highly sophisticated and structured which makes crime investigation a far more difficult task, Singh said.
“These amendments have been brought in also because the financial action task force, of which India is a member country, also expects us to improve the resources for financial crime investigation and international crime,” Singh pointed out.
The minister underscored that each one-year extension of tenure will have a reason put on record and ‘we will go through the same selection process’. During his speech, Singh was interrupted by the Opposition members who were protesting against the suspension of 12 members.
While introducing the CVC (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Singh said the amendments are in the interest of national security and for the stability of the financial structure.
“Enforcement director has a very crucial role even in money laundering cases and it is possibly the only agency of its kind available in India. But for India, most of the other countries have a much longer term. And here also, the term is not being made indefinite…,” Singh pointed out.
The clause on tenure which says ‘not less than two years’ is just being amended to ‘go up to five years’ with a one-year extension on each occasion, added the minister.