Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: AAP on Friday demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah after Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan came down heavily on the CBI for arresting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and said the central agency must dispel the notion of being a "caged parrot".
The top court on Friday granted bail to Kejriwal in a corruption case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, saying prolonged incarceration amounted to unjust deprivation of liberty.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said at a press conference that the apex court's remark was not just against the probe agency but a comment against the central government.
"The Union home minister should resign as this raises questions on him. The Supreme Court called the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) a caged parrot," he said.
His Cabinet colleague Atishi accused the BJP-led Centre of "misusing" central probe agencies to target AAP leaders.
"So many raids were conducted but not a penny of ill-gotten wealth was found. Yet so many of our leaders were put behind bars. The Supreme Court's decision to grant bail to Kejriwal is a slap on the face of Shah, the home ministry, Centre and the CBI. Shah should resign by this evening before Kejriwal comes out," she said.
Writing a separate concurring judgment granting bail to AAP supremo Kejriwal, Justice Bhuyan questioned the timing of his arrest by the CBI and said its aim was to frustrate the grant of bail to him in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case.
Justice Surya Kant did not find any illegality in the CBI arrest.
"The CBI is a premier investigating agency. It is in the public interest that CBI must not only be above board but must also be seen to be so. Every effort must be made to remove any perception that investigation was not carried out fairly and that the arrest was made in a high-handed and biased manner," Justice Bhuyan wrote.
"In a functional democracy governed by the rule of law, perception matters. Like Caesar's wife, an investigating agency must be above board. Not long ago, this court had castigated the CBI, comparing it to a caged parrot. It is imperative that CBI dispels the notion of it being a caged parrot. Rather, the perception should be that of an uncaged parrot," he added.