Published: Wednesday, Nov 3, 2010, 2:44 IST
By Harish Gupta | Place: New Delhi | Agency: DNA
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_cag-may-say-whatever-he-ll-have-to-help-vk-shunglu_1461460
Prime minister Manmohan Singh has given a free hand to the VK Shunglu committee to probe alleged corruption in organisation of the Delhi Commonwealth Games (CWG).
He has also made it clear that the cabinet secretariat would provide special funds for the investigation. The committee can decide its own procedures and appoint as many advisors and consultants as required.
In a fresh notification, after the one issued a fortnight ago, the cabinet secretariat gave more powers to Shunglu. The two-page notification makes it clear that all agencies of the state, including comptroller and auditor general (CAG), central vigilance commission (CVC) and the CWG organising committee, will cooperate with him.
The fact that copies of the notification have been marked to CAG and CVC makes it clear that even if these bodies are autonomous, they ought to cooperate. This deflates CAG Vinod Rai’s claim that he is not to share anything with anybody as he reports only to parliament.
The notification, however, does not give any clue under which law the Shunglu committee with the status of a Supreme Court judge has been constituted.
Such committees have been constituted before — Manmohan Singh had earlier formed the Justice RS Pathak Committee to probe the oil-for-food scam in which then external affairs minister Natwar Singh was an accused and former prime minister the late Rajiv Gandhi had set up a similar committee to probe allegations against then Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal. But the Shunglu committee’s mandate is much bigger considering its 10-point inquiry.
As if this was not enough, the committee has been
given the power to look into “any other areas considered relevant”.
Surprisingly, sports will be the nodal ministry to provide all the assistance it needs in terms of administrative and manpower requirements. But necessary “budget provisions for the expenditure relating to the committee will be provided by the cabinet secretariat.”
