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Hon’ble Speaker Lok Sabha
Shri Somnath Chatterjee, Minister of State for Personnel, Shri Suresh Pachauri,
Central Vigilance Commissioner, Shri P. Shankar, Secretary Personnel, Shri A.N.
Tiwari, former Directors of CBI, Chiefs of Central Police Organisations, family
members of Shri D.P. Kohli, distinguished guests, friends from the media, Ladies
& Gentlemen.
2. It is my proud privilege to welcome you
all to the 6th D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture. This occasion marks the foundation
day of the Central Bureau of Investigation and as part of annual celebrations,
we have been organising D.P. Kohli Memorial Lectures for the past six years.
3. Shri D.P. Kohli headed the Delhi
Special Police Establishment from July, 1955 to March, 1963. On creation of CBI
on 1st April, 1963 he became its founder Director, a position which he held for
5 years. Shri D.P. Kohli served CBI with great dignity and distinction. He was
an institution builder par-excellence. During his stewardship of CBI, he laid
strong foundations for this organisation to emerge as a National Investigating
Agency. Shri Kohli was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1967 in recognition of his
outstanding contribution to Indian Police in general and the Central Bureau of
Investigation in particular. If today, the Central Bureau of Investigation is
able to cope with the multifarious duties and the accompanying pressures, it is
because of the strength of the system that he built up along with his dedicated
colleagues. Shri Kohli used to tell his colleagues (I quote) "the public
expect the highest standard from you both in efficiency and integrity. If the
faith is to be sustained, the motto of CBI ‘Industry’, ‘Impartiality’
and ‘Integrity’ must guide your work. Loyalty to duty must come first
everywhere and at all times and in all circumstances". This Memorial
Lecture is a fitting tribute to Shri D.P. Kohli.
4. During his tenure in C.B.I., Shri Kohli
always laid emphasis on team work in crime investigation. He recognised the
important role played by Constables and Head Constables in the organisation. In
this regard he instituted annual awards to Constables and Head Constables for
outstanding detective work. This award will be presented today. This is an
opportunity for all of us to remember the priceless contribution of Shri D.P.
Kohli to Central Bureau of Investigation.
5. This year, we have decided to honour
all the former Directors of C.B.I. All of them, in their own different ways,
have contributed to the growth of professional excellence and credibility that
C.B.I. enjoys today. Each former Director has left his distinct imprint which
has enriched the organisation. I take this opportunity to once again extend a
warm welcome to all the former Directors of C.B.I. present here today.
6. We are especially honoured that the Hon’ble
Speaker, Lok Sabha, Shri Somnath Chatterjee will deliver the 6th D.P. Kohli
Memorial Lecture on the topic ‘Parliamentary Democracy in India – Present
and Future’. Shri Somnath Chatterjee does not need any introduction. He is one
of the most distinguished Parliamentarians, India has produced. His contribution
to Parliamentary debates as well as public discourse in India has been peerless.
He commands respect through the sheer force of his personality and erudition. In
public life, he has never compromised on principles. He has spoken fearlessly on
various issues with the precision which comes from his training as a Barrister.
He is one of the rare individuals who live by the courage of their convictions.
7. I also wish to take this opportunity to
briefly touch upon the path C.B.I. has traversed over the last 42 years. C.B.I.
has grown vastly since the days of Shri D.P. Kohli and undergone major
transformation with regard to its role and responsibilities. From being an
Anti-corruption Organisation established to investigate irregularities in War
and Supply department during World War II, CBI has grown into a
Multi-Disciplinary investigation agency. Apart from corruption cases, we are now
investigating crimes involving national security, economic crimes, violation of
human rights, Cyber crime, wildlife crime, narcotics, counterfeit currency, etc.
Today, we have experts from Banking, Customs, Income-Tax, Railways, Engineering
and other departments, assisting in investigation work. C.B.I. has three
distinct Divisions namely – Anti-corruption Division, Special Crime Division
and Economic Offences Division as well as a separate Directorate of Prosecution.
However, needless to say, the main focus of our efforts is the area of
corruption. There can be no two opinions that in the last 50 years, there has
been a cancerous growth of corruption in the country. The idealism generated in
the Society and body-politic during the freedom struggle has waned considerably
leading to corruption. Within the constraints of our present legal system, CBI
has done yeoman service by detecting and investigating corruption in high
places. During the past couple of years we have devised a strategy of Special
Drives wherein simultaneous searches are conducted all over the country against
corrupt officials. This strategy has had a definite impact on corruption.
8. As I mentioned earlier, C.B.I., as an
organisation has diversified and entered into new areas of crime investigation.
Further, over the years, Constitutional Courts have mandated C.B.I. to
investigate complicated cases with inter-state and international ramification.
As a Law Enforcement agency, C.B.I. has also come under intense critical review
of public, the media and judiciary. On occasions, C.B.I. is unjustly criticised
for alleged lapses without realising that we are just one facet of criminal
justice system. Even the most thoroughly investigated case can be adversely
affected due to delays inherent in the trial process. However, I have no
hesitation in saying that in spite of occasional shortcomings, C.B.I. enjoys
high credibility among citizens of this country. On a special occasion like
this, all C.B.I. officers need to rededicate themselves to persue professional
excellence. Our motto – Industry, Impartiality and Integrity, so imaginatively
coined by Shri D.P. Kohli should always be our guiding principle.
9. The unleashing of the forces of
liberalization, privatization and globalization has added an irrepressibly
urgent edge to life as we know it. In the sixties and seventies, crime and law
and order were predominantly pedestrian and local affairs. And most important of
all, compared to today, the act of crime was a slow affair. There was ample time
to plan an investigation and take justice to the offenders. But today, with a
few clicks of a mouse in a remote corner of the country one can plunge the
financial system in Bombay and other financial nodes in the country nay
internationally into a severe crisis. The criminal class of all stripes and
shades-militants, terrorists, cyber criminals, fraudsters, organized criminals
etc. have availed of the benefits of the technological revolution to facilitate
and to anonymize their crimes. This has made it imperative for a law enforcement
agency like CBI to avail of the latest technological applications to bring
justice home to the criminals of the day.
10. All of us present here are eager to
hear Shri Somnath Chatterjee speak on the topic ‘Parliamentary Democracy in
India – Present and Future’. India has survived as a nation due to our
system of Parliamentary Democracy. In fact, there are no precedents in human
history for working democracy of over a billion people living in a society of
great diversities and infinite varieties. In a multi-religious,
multi-linguistic, multi-ethnic and multi-regional society without a parallel
anywhere Parliamentary democracy has been both a vehicle for representation and
also an instrument for empowerment. The record of relatively young Indian
national state in managing these bewildering array of diversities amidst trials
and tribulations is one of the major achievements of contemporary times that has
great lessons for the rest of the world. The credit for this inevitably goes to
the structure of our democratic fabric carefully designed and handed over to us
by our founding fathers, individuals of exceptional ability and unusual acumen.
11. Our Parliament represents India in all
its splendour and diversity. Our pluralist ethos is constantly reinforced
through Parliamentary system of Democracy. George Bernand Shaw had once said
that there is always a small percentage of people who have natural talent for
politics and the system must be so devised as to catch such natural talent
inherent in any country. Without doubt, our Parliament, especially in the
initial years of independence, was a glittering forum for such talent. But the
quality, composition, functions and discourse in Parliament have transformed
over the years. Shri Somnath Chatterjee is ideally qualified to analyse such
changes and also look into the future.
12. The future of Parliamentary democracy
in India is very bright. The composition of present Lok Sabha is perhaps a
reflection of shape of things to come. We have a new generation of young
Parliamentarians who truly represent the changing demographic profile of India.
They come with excellent professional qualifications and have chosen politics as
a vocation, disregarding good career opportunities elsewhere. For this you don’t
have to look around. Amongst us here on the dais is our Minister, Shri Suresh
Pachauri who being a mechanical engineer has taken to politics as main
avocation. They are fired with a vision of India as a modern developed nation
state. With such a talented pool of young Parliamentarians being guided by
stalwarts like Shri Somnath Chatterjee and others, the future of Parliamentary
democracy in India is in safe and excellent hands.
13. With these words I have great pleasure
in welcoming the Hon’ble Speaker Shri Somnath Chatterjee, MOS(PP), Shri Suresh
Pachauri, Central Vigilance Commissioner, Secretary Personnel, particularly
former Directors of CBI who have so kindly agreed to attend this function,
members of D.P. Kohli family, distinguished guests and all others. I thank you
all for making this function a success.
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