Subramanium turns to NSA for help in DDCA probe

Subramanium, who has accepted the offer to head the inquiry panel formed by the Delhi government in this regard, also wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal requesting him to send the names of five “outstanding” investigative officers from the Anti-Corruption Branch with their dossiers.

Subramanium told Kejriwal that he has written to Doval as the Central government “itself called upon the Delhi government” to get an investigation done into alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association. “Obviously, this means that the Central government would render all possible assistance in this regard,” the top lawyer wrote. In his letter to Doval, Subramanium said that “some of the disclosures may also pertain to national security”. “it is important that I must ask you to step in and offer suitably qualified officers who will also be morally endowed to assist the Commission,” he wrote.

From Doval, Subramanium sought shortlisted dossiers of five of the “best officers of the IB, who should be of the level of joint director and below”, five officers from the CBI and five officers of the Delhi Police, with their records. “I would leave it to your discretion to choose any officers(s) from any of the other state cadres, you believe to be competent,” he added. The noted lawyer told a TV channel that his request to Doval is part of the enquiry procedure which calls for appropriate “logistical infrastructure” before beginning the probe. “I don’t want in hindsight to feel that he (Doval) was not sufficiently briefed as he is a person who understands the ramifications correctly and that is why I wrote to him. I cannot judge by my personal imagination who can be a competent person to investigate,” he said.  

BJP has described as an exercise in “cheap publicity and propaganda” the one-man Commission of Inquiry’s communication to the NSA, in which it has sought names of officers to be part of its probe in the alleged irregularities in DDCA affairs. Accusing former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, who is heading the Commission, of working at the behest of the AAP government, BJP asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to read the Constitution, alleging that his several decisions have been “unconstitutional”. “It is not within the legal purview of the Delhi government to probe the Delhi cricket board (DDCA) which is registered as a society under the Companies Act. Subramanium is doing such drama at the behest of Kejriwal who is used to taking unconstitutional decisions. “It is nothing but part of its propaganda. Kejriwal should read the Constitution so that he can focus on what his government should be doing, like sanitation and preventing dengue from recurring, and not what it should not be doing,” BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said.