NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday heard preliminary objections raised by the Centre regarding a lawsuit filed by the West Bengal government.
In its lawsuit, the state has alleged that the CBI has been proceeding with investigations and filing FIRs in several cases, despite West Bengal having withdrawn its general consent for the federal agency to operate within its jurisdiction.
The lawsuit was filed by West Bengal against the Centre under Article 131 of the Constitution, which deals with the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction in disputes between the Centre and one or more states. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, argued that Article 131 is a sacred provision that should not be misused or abused.
Mehta clarified that the cases mentioned in the state’s suit were not filed by the Union of India, stating, “The Union of India has not registered any case. CBI has registered it,” and emphasized that “CBI is not under the control of the Union of India”.
In November 2018, the West Bengal government withdrew the “general consent” that allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct investigations or carry out raids within the state.