New Delhi:
The CBI told the Supreme Court today that it simply doesn't have enough officers to handle the Vyapam recruitment scam, which was handed over to the agency amid national attention on the unusually large number of deaths linked to the case.
The crippling shortage came up not once, but twice before the top court, which said the nation's premier investigating agency must have enough officers.
The CBI has been given two weeks to submit details on its staff strength, number of cases being investigate and why vacancies are not being filled.
The agency highlighted its inadequate strength first during a Vyapam case hearing and next, in a hearing linked to the Saradha chit fund scam.
Asked by the court to take over all cases linked to the Vyapam scam within three weeks, the CBI told the court that because of its staff crunch, it was finding it difficult to do so, and the number of cases was also rising.
Of over 200 cases, the CBI said it has taken over 185, and needs three weeks more to take over all the records.
In the Vyapam case, which involves politicians and bureaucrats, lakhs of candidates allegedly paid bribes in return for jobs on the state payroll or for places in educational institutes.
Not just Vyapam, the CBI confessed that it was quite overwhelmed by the multiplying FIRs or police complaints also in the Saradha chit fund scam in West Bengal.
"There are 748 vacancies and already there are 1,000 FIRs in the Saradha case," the agency said, urging the court to step in and help in filling up vacancies.
Representing the Centre, the Attorney General said that training an inspector for the CBI takes two years and discussions were on with states for officers that could be deputed to the CBI.
The court said it would take up the case next on September 11. "If the Centre can't fill up the vacancies in the CBI, court will direct the states to depute officers," said the court.
"Let the policemen sitting at police stations earning bribes come out and work," the court commented, saying that the CBI must pick 40 officers from the Bengal police to help in its investigation.