Too much work, too few hands in CBI; Centre seeks states help

Citing increase in court-referred cases to CBI, the Centre has asked all states to send its officers to fill over 1,500 vacant posts in the probe agency facing acute staff crunch.

This comes after CBI Director Anil Sinha had said that if states fail to send their personnel on deputation, a time could come when the agency would collapse and fail.

At a recent meeting with states' representatives here, Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training--which acts as nodal authority for administrative needs of the CBI--raised concern over increase in the number of cases undertaken by the agency.

He said the Supreme Court and the High courts were handing over a large number of sensitive cases for investigation to CBI which was in need of additional manpower.

"As internal filling up of posts by CBI would take considerable time, the state governments were requested to send the names of willing officials or officers at the earliest to CBI to fill the vacant posts on deputation basis in the ranks of Constable, Head Constable, Inspector and Superintendent of Police," according to the minutes of the meeting held late last month.

A total of 1,531 posts are vacant in CBI as against the sanctioned strength of 7,274, as per the agency's latest data.

Appearing before a Parliamentary Committee, the CBI Director had said that the agency's capacity for investigation was around 700 cases a year which has now almost doubled, necessitating induction of more officers to supervise them.

A total of 1,200 cases and 62 foreign investigations were pending for probe, as per the submission made by the agency.

While deposing before the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, the CBI Director had proposed to provide longer tenure to officers on deputation in the agency from states and central forces in addition to other steps taken to manage vacancies.

"He, therefore, expressed that unless state governments provide the manpower by way of sending more of their personnel on deputation to the CBI, a time could come that CBI would collapse and fail," said the panel's report.