No question of CBI probe in gold smuggling case: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram, July 21: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday rejected the opposition Congress-led UDF's demand for a High Court-monitored CBI probe into the sensational gold smuggling case, in which a prime accused had levelled serious allegations against him, his family members and some top bureaucrats.

Replying to a submission by Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan in the Assembly, Mr Vijayan said the smuggling case was completely the Centre's subject and does not come under the purview of the state government and so it cannot make any request about which agency should probe the case.

"The state government can not say which agency should probe the gold smuggling case as it is not a state subject. There is no need for the state government to take up that responsibility," he said, according to news agency PTI.

Several agencies including the Enforcement Directorate, NIA and Customs are currently probing the case and if any of them felt any limitation in their present investigation, it was up to them to take the decision to hand over the case to others.

He also alleged that the CBI was an agency which had been widely misused by the central governments in various cases across the country.

Irked over the rejection of their demand, UDF members raised slogans against the Chief Minister and the Left government saying they were scared of a CBI probe.