The convictions in cases related to West Bengal which are being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are getting hindered by the reluctance on part of the state government to set up even a single special CBI court in the state.
Reacting to the claims by the RTI activist-turned-politician and the Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale on the floor of the upper house of the Parliament that there had been not a single conviction in the 6,900 corruption case filed by CBI in West Bengal, Home Minister Amit Shah said that the conviction in the related cases directed by court was not possible because the West Bengal government did not constitute a single special CBI court in the state.
The Home Minister also reacted to Gokhale’s comments that the he was afraid of being questioned. He said that he did not come to Parliament by virtue of anyone’s mercy after winning seven elections and hence there was no question of being “afraid”.
He also accused Gokhale of misleading the house regarding the nature of cases. He said that the cases were related to political violence in West Bengal, including post-poll violence, registered following order either by the Supreme Court of India or the High Court.
“The cases could not be concluded because of the absence of a single special court in West Bengal,” HM Shah said on the floor of the House.
The BJP Parliamentarians demanded an apology from Gokhale over his comments that the Union home minister was afraid of being questioned.
Later, the chairman of the Rajya Sabha and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar observed that since Gokhale’s comments were un-parliamentary, they would be expunged.
