Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were disrupted on Monday as opposition Bharatiya Janata Party alleged misuse of the Central Bureau of Investigation by the government to meet "narrow political gains".
As soon as the Lok Sabha met, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj accused the government of misusing CBI to "protect some from the clutches of law, to trap others and to keep the Damocles sword hanging on yet others to serve its narrow political ends."
The allegations were strongly refuted by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Swaraj said the probe agency was misused and cited reports of senior Gujarat IPS officer Geeta Johri levelling allegations against the CBI for "pressurising" her to name some top political leaders in the Soharabuddin fake encounter case.
Similar scenes were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha where BJP members trooped into the well even as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan said the government was ready to discuss the functioning of CBI.
With BJP members raising slogans in the well in both Houses, the proceedings were adjourned till noon.
Johri has moved a curative petition in the Supreme Court alleging that CBI is pressurising her to implicate some politicians after it had arrested former minister of state for home Amit Shah, a close confidant of chief minister Narendra Modi.
Swaraj demanded that the current session be extended by another day to enable discussion on the functioning of the CBI.
"This session should not end without a discussion on the functioning of CBI. The misuse of CBI to meet narrow political ends should stop," she said.
She said the Opposition has been demanding a discussion on the matter from the last session but it has not taken place even as the current session was drawing to a close.
"The matter was even listed for discussion in the past two weeks but could not be taken up for one reason or the other," she said.
Swaraj said the discussion assumes significance in the wake of allegations by Johri.
Bansal, however, said, "It is a wrong impression that the government does not want a discussion on the functioning of the CBI. Government has never misused CBI nor will it ever do so. CBI is an autonomous body."
But, BJP members continued to raise slogans in the well of the Lok Sabha.
Pointing to the Opposition benches, Bansal said, "These people do not want a discussion. They are not even ready to hear what the government has to say to their allegations."
In the Rajya Sabha, Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley sought to raise a discussion on "functioning of CBI and its politicisation in the context of a statement by Johri."
The treasury benches immediately stood up, protesting Jaitley's comments.
Chairman Hamid Ansari said a subjudice matter could not be raised in the House.
Jaitley, however, countered that he was not referring to any specific case that is being heard in court, but was referring to the IPS officer's statement, which has appeared in the media.
Even as Congress members protested, BJP MPs including Rudra Narayan Pany, Prakash Javadekar and Vinay Katiyar entered into a verbal duel with the treasury benches.
Chavan said, "The government is fully prepared to discuss the functioning of CBI. We are ready for it. However, the allegation (of the officer's victimisation by CBI) is patently false. The matter is in Supreme Court. An investigating agency cannot be provoked like this."
This did not satisfy the agitated BJP members who trooped into the well and started shouting slogans.
