The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a stinging rebuke to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), questioning the competence of its officers probing the death of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) officer Vimal Negi. The bench went so far as to describe some of the investigating officials as “absolutely bogus officers” unfit to remain in service.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Prashant Kumar Mishra made the sharp observations while hearing a plea for anticipatory bail filed by Desh Raj, Director (Electrical) at HPPCL, who is among the accused.
The judges took strong exception to the manner in which the CBI questioned the accused and recorded findings of “non-cooperation”.
“Who is the investigator putting questions? This is childish. I am going to comment on this investigator. If he is a senior officer, it reflects very sadly on the CBI,” Justice Amanullah remarked during the hearing.
The bench cited an example of a question posed by the CBI: “You transferred him because of this”, observing that such queries revealed a poor understanding of basic investigative standards.
“A question like that—what answer do you expect? He would deny, right? If he is silent, the right to remain silent is a constitutional right. You say this is non-cooperation? What type of officers do you have in CBI? Absolutely bogus officers. Not fit to be in service,” the court said.
The judges also criticised what they described as a “useless” and speculative case diary lacking concrete evidence. “All surmises, nothing concrete that says look here – this is the evidence,” Justice Amanullah noted.
Background of the Case
The CBI is probing allegations that senior HPPCL officials, including Managing Director Harikesh Meena and Desh Raj, mentally harassed and pressured Negi to “do wrong”, leading to severe stress and his eventual suicide. The family of the deceased has accused the officials of pushing Negi into an intolerable situation.
Desh Raj’s counsel denied the allegations and argued that the CBI’s claim of non-cooperation was unfounded.
After examining the investigation material, the Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to Desh Raj, finding no justification for the agency’s stand.
The matter continues to cast a shadow over the handling of sensitive investigations by the CBI, with the court’s unusually scathing remarks likely to prompt internal scrutiny within the agency.
