The West Bengal government has restored the general consent for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe corruption cases, nearly eight years after the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress withdrew the permission.
The decision comes after a long-standing dispute between the Centre and the state government, with West Bengal being the latest among several states to withdraw general consent for CBI investigations.
Under the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, the federal agency requires the consent of the state government to conduct an investigation within its jurisdiction.
The notification said the general consent is subject to a condition that no investigation shall be conducted by CBI against the public servants controlled by the West Bengal government without its prior permission.
Eleven other states, mostly ruled by the Opposition, had withdrawn the general consent for CBI from 2017, alleging that the Centre was using the agency to target opponents as part of "political vendetta".
However, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and now West Bengal have since restored CBI's powers.
