New Delhi: Under fire for conducting searches at DMK leader MK Stalin's house, the CBI on Thursday tried to defend its action by saying that it was "strictly" in accordance with procedures and there was no intention whatsoever to target any particular individual.
Amid uproar and displeasure made evident by political leaders, the CBI team pulled out of the residence of MK Stalin and its top brass even suggested that the team had never intended to go inside the house. The CBI came out with a statement explaining why the searches were carried out in a case of imported vehicles registered on Wednesday.
It said that a case had been registered under various sections of IPC including criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating and abuse of official position. It pertained to a complaint about 33 vehicles that had been imported in Tamil Nadu. The CBI added that out of these, certain vehicles are believed to have been imported and subsequently sold in violation of import provisions causing a loss of up to Rs 48 crore to the exchequer.
A case has been registered against an importer and a senior intelligence officer of DRI who allegedly did not take any action even after identification of vehicles at the premises of certain users and some others unknown ones. The statement said that during the searches conducted at 18 locations on Thursday, 17 imported cars have been located and seized, and other searches are still on.
The statement also added that, "CBI wishes to clarify that the operation was strictly in accordance with procedures and there was no intention whatsoever to target any particular individual." Prime Minister Manmohan Singh distanced the government from the CBI action, saying it had "no role" in the development and was "upset" over it. Union Ministers P Chidambaram and Kamal Nath "strongly disapproved" of the agency's action while the Opposition slammed the government accusing it of misusing CBI.
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