CBI files new FIR against Sisodia - What is Delhi govt's 'feedback unit' case?
1 min read 16 Mar 2023, 07:38 PM ISTSet up in 2015 under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the feedback unit had been tasked with gathering 'relevant information' and feedback about the working of government departments and other bodies under the AAP-led administration.
PremiumThe Central Bureau of Investigation filed a fresh case against former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday. The senior AAP leader was earlier arrested by CBI in the Delhi excise policy case and is behind bars in an Enforcement Directorate case. The latest allegations pertain to the Delhi government's Feedback Unit that has been accused of ‘political snooping’.
What is the Delhi government's feedback unit?
The feedback unit of the government was set up in 2015 with approval from the Delhi Cabinet of Ministers. It came into existence after the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Delhi government came under the Lieutenant Governor's purview and was tasked with gathering 'relevant information' and feedback with regards the working of government departments and other bodies under the state government. According to reports, its mandate also included conducting sting operations, or ‘trap cases’.
While it remains unclear whether the unit is still functional, the 2016-17 budget had set aside ₹1 crore as provision for ‘Secret Service Expenditure’. It is understood to have begun operations under 'direct control' of the Chief Minister's office with 17 contractual employees.
L-G Vinai Kumar Saxena had termed it an 'extra-constitutional body' along the lines of a private intelligence agency that answered to one person. The official had dubbed it a “extraneous and parallel covert agency" that had overarching powers to ‘snoop and trespass’ without legislative, judicial or executive oversight.
What has the CBI alleged?
The probe body registered an FIR against Sisodia and others - including IRS officer Sukesh Kumar Jain, retired CISF DIG Rakesh Kumar Sinha and former joint deputy director of Intelligence Bureau Pradeep Kumar' Punj.
According to the CBI the no agenda note was circulated or sanctions taken from the L-G for appointments in the feedback unit. "The Feedback Unit, in addition to collecting the mandated information, also collected political intelligence/intelligence qua miscellaneous issues," its preliminary enquiry report added.
The enquiry was registered on a reference from the Delhi government's vigilance department, which had detected irregularities in the Feedback Unit.
(With inputs from agencies)
