CBI to HC: Ready to Investigate Alleged Irregularities in Kaleshwaram Project
Hyderabad: The CBI has submitted its willingness to the Telangana High Court to investigate alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIS) if it was directed by the High Court.
The CBI said it has not received any complaint or communication from the Telangana state government in this matter. It also did not receive any complaint from the consortium of the banks that funded the project.
D. Kalyan Chakravarthy, head of the CBI, ACB for Hyderabad Region, has filed a detailed counter to the High Court about the jurisdiction and limitations of the CBI to investigate the KLIS project.
He filed his counter-affidavit responding to a writ petition filed by advocate Rammohan Reddy before the High Court stating that CBI did not respond to his complaint seeking an FIR into the alleged loss of public exchequer in the construction of KLIS.
The officer submitted that the complaint of the petitioner was being scrutinised to find out the role of public servants of the Central government in causing an alleged loss to Telangana state.
He submitted that the CBI has no jurisdiction to register a criminal case on the loss caused by the officials of the Telangana state government unless there is a direction from a constitutional court or the state government.
He said the CBI cannot investigate the matters that come under the purview of the state government unless it receives a complaint from the state government or public sector banks.
In the counter-affidavit, he submitted that the CBl is willing to abide by the directions that may be issued by the High Court in the said writ petition. The CBI also prayed the court to direct the state government to provide manpower and logistic support for conducting the investigation of the case swiftly.
It was submitted by the CBI that a multi-disciplinary investigation team of officials having expertise in various spheres needs to be constituted. The workload anticipated in the case will be of such a magnitude that the entire CBI, ACB, and Hyderabad branch, will be completely engaged only in this case.
In the circumstances of the inadequate logistics and manpower, the CBI requested the court to direct the Telangana government to provide an additional SP, three DSPs, six inspectors and four sub-inspectors and a sufficient number of subordinate staff apart from vehicles and office space, in the event the High Court directs it to register the FIR and take up the investigation.
