General Consent Principle for CBI | 29 Dec 2023

Why in News?

According to the sources, Chhattisgarh government will restore General Consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe cases in the state.

• The States give their general consent to CBI under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.

Key Points

• As of March 2023, Mizoram, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Kerala, Jharkhand, Punjab and Meghalaya had withdrawn their general consent given to CBI.
• General Consent Principle for CBI:
  • The consent of the state government to CBI can be either case-specific or “general”.
  • General consent is normally given by states to help the CBI in the seamless investigation of cases of corruption against central government employees in their states.
  • This is essentially consent by default, which means CBI may begin investigations taking consent as having been already given.
  • In the absence of general consent, CBI would have to apply to the state government for its consent in every individual case, and before taking even small actions.