Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has on Wednesday -June 14 made a big move to curb the power of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the state. The development, that appears to be a sharp crackdown against the BJP regime-led central agency, has come hours after senior Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji was arrested and sent to the judicial custody in connection to the money laundering case, that is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

In an unanticipated move, MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu has announced that it has withdrawn the general consent given to the CBI, curbing the central agency's power of investigating the cases without the assent of the state government. The decision of the DMK government is expected to barricade CBI's direct play of unfolding investigation in Tamil Nadu and that the central agency will now have to seek prior permission from the state government for undertaking investigation. 

An official release from the state government said, "The CBI should henceforth seek prior permission from the Tamil Nadu government for undertaking investigation." The CBI had the general consent under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, that allows the agency to probe the cases without the permission from the state government. 

As CBI comes under the control of Union Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Public Grievances led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the move from MK Stalin to withdraw the general consent to CBI is seen as a direct bombardment from Stalin to Modi as the DMK and BJP are locking horns in the new episode of political slugfest, sparked by the arrest of Senthil Balaji, one of MK Stalin's lieutenants. 

As MK Stalin's decision has come into effect, Tamil Nadu has become the tenth state to withdraw the general consent to CBI. This club of states consists of non-BJP ruling states and the pattern exhibits the fury against the BJP regime that is being accused of using the central agencies to suppress the opposition parties. The other nine states that had already withdrawn the general consent to CBI are Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Telangana, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh, and Punjab.

Notably, Tamil Nadu has become the third state in South India to quell CBI's power after Kerala and Telangana. According to the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, CBI is granted power to investigate a case in Delhi without any consent as the agency falls under the Union government. On the other hand, CBI needs consent or support from the state governments to probe the case in their jurisdictions. While most of the states have given general consent to CBI to investigate the cases without their permission, the opposition ruling states have withdrawn such consent and Tamil Nadu is now one among them. 

Our sources say that though the DMK government has withdrawn the general consent to CBI, the central agency can still continue its investigation in the old cases until the government takes back the consent specifically from those cases. The CBI can also continue to probe the cases that the agency had taken over based on the order from the courts. 

The DMK has been accusing the BJP of misusing the central agencies like CBI, Income Tax, and ED to silence the opposition leaders. After ED's raids and drive to arrest Senthil Balaji, the state ruling party has strengthened its accusation against the BJP regime, that eventually was seen in MK Stalin's decision to withdraw the general consent to CBI. Senthil Balaji has been hospitalized in Chennai after he complained of chest pain when he was under ED's custody.

The DMK leaders had alleged that the ED had harassed Senthil Balaji and that the party will not fear for such intimidations from the BJP. While the hospital has advised a bypass surgery for Senthil Balaji, he was sent to the judicial custody till June 28. The court will be pronouncing its verdict on Senthil Balaji's bail petition on Thursday - June 15.