Mizoram has once again accorded general consent to the CBI that will allow the central investigating agency to seamlessly probe offences in the northeastern state.
The decision assumes significance because Mizoram was one of the first states in the country to have withdrawn general consent to the CBI and granting of withdrawal on Thursday comes at a time when Opposition parties accuse the BJP-led Centre of targeting their leaders through central agencies.
Mizoram is currently helmed by the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) which won the November Assembly elections comprehensively by unseating the Mizo National Front government. It is neither with the BJP-led NDA nor the Opposition INDIA bloc.
Mizoram had withdrawn consent in 2015 when the Congress was in power and it was not restored by the Zoramthanga-led Mizo National Front (MNF) which came to power in 2018.
Withdrawal of general consent means the central probe agency can’t register any case against any official or individuals in a state without the state government’s consent, an official said.
In the absence of general consent, the CBI has to approach a state government on a case-to-case basis which the latter will consider on a merit basis, hindering investigation, sources said.
However, immediately after his swearing in on December 8, newly-elected chief minister Lalduhoma said according general consent to CBI would be his priority area because he wanted to provide a corruption-free governance.
Late Thursday night, Lalduhoma posted on X (formerly Twitter) with a copy of the government gazette notification, “Committed to transparency and accountability, #Mizoram grants consent for a #CBI investigation. Our government is resolute in eliminating corruption for the welfare of our citizens. #MizoramAgainstCorruption .”
The notification, issued on December 28, issued by C. Lalrosanga, secretary vigilance department, said the Mizoram government “hereby accords consent to exercise powers and jurisdiction of the members of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) for investigation of offences in the state of Mizoram.”
The Centre had on December 20 apprised the Lok Sabha that ten states, including Mizoram, had withdrawn general consent to the CBI. The states are Punjab, Jharkhand, Kerala, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Mizoram, Telangana, Meghalaya, and Tamil Nadu.
The West Bengal government withdrew general consent in 2018 followed by Chhattisgarh in 2019, Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Jharkhand in 2020, Meghalaya in 2022 and Tamil Nadu (June 2023).