Punjab Becomes Latest State to Withdraw General Consent to CBI

Punjab becomes the ninth non-BJP state to effectively shut its gates to the central probe agency.

File image of Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh. 

(Photo: IANS)

The Punjab government on Monday, 9 November, revoked general consent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out any investigation in the state, ANI reported.

The CBI will now have to take permission from the state government on a case-to-case basis.

Punjab becomes the ninth non-BJP state – like Jharkhand, Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan – to effectively shut its gates to the central probe agency.

NDTV reported that the notification was issued late on Monday, in which the Amarinder Singh government said it was withdrawing general consent and "prior consent of the Government of Punjab" would be required in the future, on a "case-to-case basis" for any future investigation.

“...the Government of Punjab hereby withdraws the general consent accorded to the members of the Delhi Special Police Establishment, anytime herein before. In view of revocation of all previous general consents issued earlier, prior consent of the Government of Punjab shall be required, hereinafter, on a case-to-case basis for investigation of any offence or class of offences...”

Punjab government notification

Earlier, on 5 November, Congress-ruled Jharkhand joined the list of states that had withdrawn the general consent extended to the CBI to conduct investigations in the state.

Earlier, Tripura and Mizoram had also revoked the general consent.

(With inputs from PTI and NDTV.)