Asserting that it was his government's policy to thoroughly probe all allegations of corruption, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Wednesday said the CBI is inquiring into the bribery allegations against former Union minister Dilip Singh Judeo.
Making a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha, Vajpayee said the CBI had asked both Judeo and his private secretary Natwar Rateria to appear before the investigating agency.
"The CBI is inquiring into this matter and it would be premature to state anything till the inquiry is complete," he told the members.
The CBI, the prime minister said, has "full functional autonomy. Under the recently enacted Central Vigilance Commission Act, the superintendence of the CBI in relation to offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been vested by the government in the CVC. There should, therefore, be no fear or misgiving regarding the independence of this inquiry."
He assured the House that the law would take its own course.
Speaker Manohar Joshi had told the House that Vajpayee would make a statement after the opposition had given notices of adjournment motions demanding a discussion on the Judeo issue.