CBI not caged parrot but 'singing parrot' of govt: Sibal on Karti's arrest

The arrest of Karti Chidambaram by the CBI in the INX media case shows that the Indian investigating agencies are no longer a "caged parrot but a singing parrot" of the government, Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal said on Wednesday.

Sibal, who has been representing Karti in the legal battle before the Supreme Court, said this was a case of "pure vendetta" as the CBI was helpless and had to take refuge of a statement by Indrani Mukerjea, an accused charged with murdering her own daughter.

"The act shows desperation of the investigating agencies which have charged Karti for amassing properties and bank accounts. There is not even an iota of evidence against him.

Having failed to collect evidence, the CBI is now taking refuge of (Section) 164 statement (of Indrani Mukerjea).

"This is the character of investigating organisations in India today who are no longer caged parrot, but a singing parrot of the government," Sibal said.

Under section 164 of CrPC, any Metropolitan Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate may, whether or not he has jurisdiction in the case, record any confession or statement made to him in the course of an investigation.

The senior lawyer alleged that the CBI, which arrested Karti, was trying to save all the accused in Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case in which the court has transferred the judge of the Bombay High Court, who was dealing with it, and given another roster because she was questioning the CBI's conduct in the case.

"This is the same CBI which has allowed witnesses to retract their 164 statements in many cases. If this is the state of our investigating agencies, you can imagine how polluted the process of law has become," Sibal said.

Karti was today sent for one-day custodial interrogation by a Delhi court.

PTI