Demand for more autonomy shouldn't be seen with suspicion: CBI

CBI should not be perceived as being "anti-national" or wanting to be above the law by seeking more functional and financial autonomy, agency Director Ranjit Sinha said here today.

"CBI, or for that matter, any police force of the country is an important tool of criminal justice system of this country. Why should the demand (of more autonomy) be viewed with suspicion?" Sinha asked.

Sinha, who has been supervising probes in various scams including coal blocks allocation and those related to defence and 2G, spoke about the problems faced by the police forces across the country including the lack of trust from public.

"What type of police do you want? What has been done to really bring a change in the functioning of police? A police officer is always asked to deliver without having a look at the rule book," Sinha, an IPS officer of 1974 batch, told PTI here.

"It was a sad day when people in the government spurned my suggestion for granting more autonomy to the CBI. We are not anti-national. We are an important pillar of criminal justice system.

"I don't know why was it seen as a show of supremacy of the bureaucracy over the investigating agency. We never wanted to be above law," he said and added, "we always believe that authority without accountability is never possible."

"We all appreciate that autonomy and accountability are two sides of the same coin and cannot be separated," the CBI Director said.

Asked about his recent statement about "trust deficit", Sinha said "when I talk about the trust deficit it means the lack of trust that people have in police force."

He said, "I have spent nearly three decades serving in police force and always felt sad about the image of the police. I want to see the police force throughout the country to be seen with respect and vice versa."