Corruption will lead to formation of militant groups: Mukul

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sep 17: Opposition AITC leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma said formation of militant groups will take place if there is corruption in the State.

He was reacting a query on the recent formation of a new militant outfit in Khasi-Jaintia Hills region – National Liberation Council of Nongkyndong (NLCN).

“Now in absence of jobs, in absence of opportunities or rather will you say in the circumstance where  you see robbing of opportunities by people in authority, by people in power, when too much of nepotism and your complete monopoly in business and other things are there then this is what happens,” Mukul said.

Stating these are precursors of what is going to happen, he said, “When there is increased number of elite groups fighting for the same kind of space and the space is limited then when you cannot create that kind of equilibrium in the society then you will have that whole distortion of the equilibrium.”

“This is the slow indication of what is going to happen. And once it happens then it is going to remain for 15-20 years so another 15-20 years, you are going to have a mess and who is going to clear it?” he asked.

The former chief minister further asserted that the interest of the State is more important and said there is need to handle the situation with the State already witnessing lots of crimes.

Meghalaya among 9 states to withdraw general consent to CBI

As many as nine states, including Telangana and Meghalaya, have withdrawn the general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for probing certain offences.

The information was disclosed by Union Minister Jitendra Singh during the winter session of the Parliament in December 2022.

The minister informed the House that as per Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the CBI requires the consent of the respective state governments to conduct investigations in their jurisdiction.

The state governments had granted general consent to the CBI for the investigation of a specified class of offences against specified categories of persons, enabling the agency to register and investigate those specified matters, Singh elaborated. However, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, and West Bengal have withdrawn the general consent to the CBI to investigate cases. This move could potentially create roadblocks for the CBI to investigate cases in these states.

Non-BJP-ruled states have accused the CBI of “selectively targeting” Opposition leaders.

The withdrawal of consent could also affect the CBI’s ability to investigate cases that have national significance or interstate ramifications. It remains to be seen how the CBI will navigate these challenges and continue to discharge its duties effectively.

This development highlights the need for a comprehensive review of the DSPE Act, 1946, and its provisions related to the CBI’s jurisdiction and powers.

In March this year, a Parliamentary Committee emphasised the withdrawal of general consent for the CBI probe by several states and stated that the existing law governing the federal probe agency has “several limitations”.

The committee has suggested the need to enact new legislation that defines the CBI’s status, functions, and powers.

“The Committee feels that the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act has many limitations and therefore, recommends that there is a need to enact a new law and define the status, functions and powers of the CBI and also lay down safeguards to ensure objectivity and impartiality in its functioning,” it said.

Rudra Vikram Singh, Supreme Court lawyer said that withdrawal of general consent means CBI does not have the general consent of a state government, it is required to apply for consent on a case-by-case basis and cannot act before the consent is given.

“However CBI can continue to investigate cases in a state registered prior to the withdrawal of general consent. In July 2022, the Calcutta High Court, in a case of illegal coal mining and cattle smuggling being investigated by the CBI, ruled that the central agency cannot be stopped from investigating a Central government employee in another state,” said Singh.

“In its order, the High Court observed that corruption cases across the country must be treated equally and that Central government employees could not be exempted from an investigation on the grounds that their offices were located in states that have withdrawn general consent. The judgment also said that withdrawal of general consent and its ramifications would be applicable in cases where exclusively state government employees were involved,” he added.

This order, however, has been challenged in the Supreme Court, where the matter is still pending. Hence, as it stands, the CBI can use the Calcutta High Court order to its advantage to carry on certain investigations until the order is struck down by the Supreme Court.

Gurmeet Nehra, legal scholar and member of the Supreme Court Bar Association said that CBI can approach the local court of that state for issuing a search warrant and it can register a case in Delhi and proceed with the investigation.

Govt to review Shillong, Tura medical colleges

Staff Reporter

Shillong, April 2: The state government will soon review the status of the proposed Shillong medical college and under-construction Tura medical college.

“We will be reviewing these matters sometime by mid-April,” Minister-in-charge of Health & Family Welfare Ampareen Lyngdoh told reporters.

Lyngdoh said she is not completely privy to the status of the Shillong medical college but there are some problems regarding the location and that decision has to be first taken there.

“We will also have to ensure that this PPP formula that will be implemented in Shillong is a formula that will be good for the state of Meghalaya,” she asserted.

“Therefore, we will review the status (of the proposal) so that we have a better idea as there are so many components to a PPP model in a medical college. We would like to get the best deal out of the offers which have come before the state,” she added.

Lyngdoh further informed that the progress of the Tura medical college is satisfactory.

Last month, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had informed that talks are on for setting up of the Shillong Medical College in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

This was after the government had cancelled the MoU signed with the earlier partners for setting up the Shillong medical college after nothing moved even after 10 years have lapsed.

The government has already identified a land of 50 acres in the new city area where the medical college would be set up.

Earlier in his budget speech, the Chief Minister said his government is committed to establishing medical colleges in the state.

He informed that the physical progress of the Tura medical college is about 40 per cent and said, “We are taking steps to fast-track its construction.”

“The proposal for setting up a medical college in Shillong in PPP mode is being actively considered and we expect to initiate this project in 2023-24,” the CM had assured.

Ao takes diplomatic stance on ‘fighting corruption’

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 7: The BJP national vice president and Meghalaya In-charge Dr M Chuba Ao remained tight-lipped regarding the party’s stand to fight against corruption.

On BJP to go ahead with its decision to investigate all cases of corruption against the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA-I) government, Dr Ao said, “Now, we are not talking about corruption. Let us form the government after that we will work and you will see how smoothly we run the government.”

He said the allegations of corruption were made during election time. “They also make allegations against our political party (that it is a) Hindu party and Hindutva”.

He however said there is no proof of the allegations of corruption. “We will stick to that only but we will work and we will come to know what is there. We also promise that we will not do such kinds of things,” Dr Ao said.

Whether he meant to say there was no corruption at all in the MDA-I government, the BJP leader however said, “I can’t say because at that time we were not so much acquainted with each other it is only we form the government to take the numbers but this time we are much more united.”