CBI Chapt 4 part1 pg 62-89 - Central Bureau of Investigation

4 The CBI 

Structure & Functioning 

Though the DSPE had achieved considerable success, especially 

during the 1950s, in putting anti-corruption measures on a firm 

footing, yet the “devil's curse” did not seem to get extenuated to 

any appreciable extent. 

Surprisingly, even the winds of development that blew extensively 

across the country, then, and which raised expectations in many 

minds that these would greatly diminish if not completely destroy 

corruption, deteriorated the situation still further. The unscrupulous 

people seized new opportunities and conditions for their personal 

gains. 

The CBI Headquarters at 

R.K. Puram, New Delhi. 

63 

....In Service of the Nation....

Taking a serious note of the gravity of the 

situation, the Government of India appointed an 

eight-member Committee, headed by a veteran 

Gandhian, K. Santhanam, MP, in June 1962, 'to 

consider special measures' to root out the menace of 

corruption from our public life. After going through 

almost every aspect of the problem at length, the 

Committee gave a comprehensive report, showing 

the actual reach of the menace in the country and the 

inadequacies and incompetence of the organizations 

combatting it. It made several wise suggestions as to 

how to solve the problem by complete overhauling 

of the entire system of investigation of corruption. 

About this time, a serious discussion and 

debate on the issue of corruption was also started in 

the Parliament and outside it, which led the 

Government to believe that some organization with 

greater scope and powers than what the DSPE 

p o s s e s s e d wa s t h e n e e d o f t h e h o u r. 

The Santhanam Committee helped in getting the 

belief transformed into a reality. 

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The Purpose of CBI 

Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Home Minister of India while announcing the 

formation of the CBI in the Parliament (Lok Sabha), gave details regarding its 

purpose as under : 

‘The Central Bureau of Investigation will investigate cases of corruption in which 

Central Government servants are involved, cases in which interests of Public Sector 

Undertakings or any Statutory Body financed by the Government of India are 

involved, cases of fraud, cheating, embezzlement, etc., relating to Public Joint Stock 

Companies and also, at the request of or with the concurrence of the States 

concerned, cases where organized gangs or professional criminal, having 

ramification in several States are involved. The Bureau will describe statistics of 

all-India importance relating to crime, conduct Police research, including analysis of 

trends and causes of crimes and make special studies of certain specialized types of 

crime, having all-India or interstate ramification or of crime having particular 

importance from the social point of view.’ 

Lok Sabha Debates, 

Vol. XXI, 23rd Jan. 1963 

Lok Sahba Debates, vol. XII, 23 Jan. 1963 

Lal Bahadur Shastri 

Home Minister, India 

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BIRTH OF CBI 

Accordingly, the Government set up, vide Resolution 

st 

No. 4/31/61-T, dated 1 April, 1963, the Central 

Bureau of Investigation to investigate not only cases 

of bribery and corruption, but also violation of 

central fiscal laws, and serious crimes committed by 

organized gangs and thugs, besides collecting 

supporting intelligence, statistics of crime, and 

conducting Police research and making special 

studies, and so forth. 

The organization drew its power of 

investigation from the Delhi Special Police 

Establishment Act, 1946. Its sphere of activity 

(jurisdiction) was, also the same as defined by the 

DSPE Act, 1946, that is, Delhi territory (now State). 

It could, of course, go to other States also, but not 

without their consent. The number of offences, which 

the CBI was authorized to investigate was a shade 

wider than before : it could now deal with most 

of the major offences covered by Acts relating to 

corruption – 69 Central Acts and 14 State Acts, and 

231 IPC offences. 

There was a change in the designation and 

rank of the Head of the CBI. He was called a Director 

now, and held the rank of Special Inspector-General 

(SIG) of Police. He was provided 'security of tenure’. 

Shri D.P. Kohli, the head of DSPE had the honour of 

being the first Director of CBI. 

For smooth and effective functioning, the 

organization was divided into six Divisions: 

(i) Investigation and Anti-Corruption Division; 

North Block, New Delhi corridor 

leading to Director, CBI office. 

66 


Courtesy : Shankar’s Annual (May 1966) 

(ii) Technical Division; (iii) Crime Records and Statistics Division; (iv) Research Division; (v) Legal and General 

Division; and (vi) Administration Division. 

In the initial years, the CBI functioned from East Block, R.K. Puram and subsequently moved to Indian 

Express building at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Shastri Bhawan, Faridkot House and then to Sardar Patel Bhawan in 

1968. Presently, the CBI Headquarters is located in CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi since 1985. 

67 


Courtesy : R.K. Laxman 

Special Investigation Cell, CBI at 

Dalhousie Road, New Delhi 

68 


70 

....In Service of the Nation.... 

North Block, New Delhi

71 


The Director CBI Chamber at North Block, New Delhi

The office of CBI at 

Sardar Patel Bhawan, 

New Delhi 

The CBI Headquarters, 

CGO Complex, New Delhi

75 


Front view of CBI Headquarters, CGO Complex, New Delhi

GROWTH WITH A DIFFERENCE 

In 1968, there was a change of guards. On superannuation, 

Director D.P. Kohli handed over the charge and command of 

st 

his corps to F.V. Arul (31 May, 1968). 

During his five year tenure, Shri D.P. Kohli had put 

the organization, as indicated above, on a sound footing. 

Fortunately, the shape and speed of growth of the 

organization did not diminish in any way during the time of 

D.P. Kohli's successors. They too spared no pains to take the 

organization ahead. 

The Government had, however, a feeling, and rightly 

so, that the CBI was in a way overburdened with work. 

Hence, they transferred some of its work to other 

organizations. 

The part-work relating to crime records and statistics 

was transferred to the National Crime Records Bureau 

(NCRB) and a part concerning research work to the Bureau 

of Police Research & Development (BPR&D). 

The transfer of workload gave a certain feeling of 

relief to the overloaded organization. But it was not destined 

to enjoy the relief for long. After a while, some very difficult, 

if not very heavy, work came its way from unexpected and 

unusual quarters. It somehow happened that the higher 

CBI Office at Jaipur 

70 Mall Road, Ambala Cantonment, Ambala, where one of the earliest CBI office was located. 

Judiciary, that is, the Supreme Court and High 

Courts, impressed by the organization's efficiency 

and professionalism, started giving complicated 

cases 'requiring serious investigations, in some 

cases on the prayers of the aggrieved parties, and in 

some others on their own initiatives'. 

As a result, the CBI's basket began to 

overflow with crime cases. In view of this, 

the Government divided the Investigation 

Division into two Divisions, namely, the 

Anti-Corruption Division and the Special Crimes 

Division. The former dealt with the corruption 

cases and the latter with cases of conventional and 

economic offences. 

In 1990s, some special investigating cells 

were created to investigate important but highly 

complicated cases, for instance, the Special 

Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the 

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case (1991), the Special 

Investigation Cell-IV (SIC-IV) to investigate the 

Babri Masjid Demolition Cases, and the Bank 

Securities & Frauds Cell (BS&FC) to investigate the 

cases related to bank frauds and securities scams 

(1992). In the following year (1993), a Special Task 

Force was created to take up investigation relating 

to bomb blasts in Bombay. 

76 


77 


CBI Office at Srinagar

CBI Office at Bhubaneswar 

CBI Office at Shillong

79 


CBI Office at Shimla

CBI Office at Lucknow 

MAJOR ORGANIZATIONAL RESHUFFLE 

In a major organizational reshuffle in 1994, three 

Division (SCD) deals with cases of terrorism, bomb 

blast, homicide, kidnaping, murder and crimes done 

Investigation divisions were created : (1) Anti- by the underworld dons. 

Corruption Division; (2) Economic Offences Division; 

and (3) Special Crimes Division. As their name speak, 

DIRECTORATE OF PROSECUTION 

On the Supreme Court's direction in the Vineet 

the Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) dealt with the 

th 

Narayan Case (judgement 18 December, 1997), 

cases of corruption and frauds committed by public a separate Directorate of Prosecution was set up in 

servants of (all) the Central Government September 2001. It is responsible for conducting 

Departments, Public Sector Undertakings and prosecution of CBI cases in courts and giving legal 

Financial Institutions. 

advice to CBI officers. It also helps in the preparation 

The Economic Offences Division (EOD) of panel of counsels to conduct prosecution. It is 

investigates economic crimes like, bank frauds, headed by Director of Prosecution, who in turn, is 

cheating, financial frauds, import, export and foreign assisted by Additional legal advisors and the deputy 

exchange violations, smuggling of narcotics, antiques legal advisors, besides the prosecutors in the 

and other contraband items. The Special Crimes branches, both for conducting trial of the cases in the 

80 


CBI Office at Chennai 

courts and for dealing with all legal matters of the 

(6) Policy and Coordination Division; and 

organization. (7) Central Forensic Science Laboratory. 

After some time, a Policy and Coordination 

Division was also set up. It coordinates investigations 

for members of the Interpol. Recently, a Cyber Crime 

Investigation and Research Cell has also come up. 

After the above additions, the organizational map was 

redrawn by clubbing different outfits under seven 

Divisions. Now, the position is as follows : 

(1) Anti-Corruption Division; 

(2) Economic Offences Division; 

(3) Special Crimes Division; 

Each Division functions according to the CBI 

Manual under the command of a Senior Officer, 

assisted by well-trained and well-equipped staff 

towards its goal - to make our society corruption and 

crime-free and our Nation healthy, wealthy and 

strong. 

CBI is spread over the length and breadth of 

the country, from Jammu & Kashmir in the North to 

Tamil Nadu in the South, from Gujarat in the West to 

Guwahati and Shillong in the North-East. It is an 

(4) Directorate of Prosecution; 

organization of over 5,000 men, who have 

(5) Administration Division; contributed greatly in instilling fear in the 

81 


Courtesy : R.K. Laxman 

th 

Courtesy : Shankar’s Weekly (17 November, 1963) 

minds of the corrupt, in exposing scams that 

rocked the nation in the last 3-4 decades and 

giving hope of justice and fairness to the 

common man on the street. Every time, there 

is a crime of any serious nature, there is a 

demand for CBI inquiry from every quarter, 

from the intelligentsia, from the Hon'ble 

Courts and the masses. 

With the increase of work, CBI's strength also 

increased. Its headquarters and branch offices, 

scattered throughout the country (in almost all the 

States), were properly staffed and cared for. As a result, 

the overall delivery and efficiency of the organization 

improved. 

82 


The Director’s Chamber, CBI Headquarters, New Delhi 

This image of CBI, of being impartial and 

scientific has not been built overnight; the leaders and 

their teams have toiled hard over decades to achieve 

this. Every case is minutely monitored at all levels, 

and one can see a team of Investigators and Officers 

discussing the case either in the Main Conference Hall 

or discussing the issues with the Director, CBI in his 

Chamber. 

The Main Conference Hall, located next to the 

Director's Chamber, is the hub of all major discussions 

and review of the progress made in investigation and 

prosecution of various cases. It also 'hosts' the 

conference of officers from all over India every 

quarter. It is a place, which has witnessed the fact that 

law is the only friend and justice the only destination 

for CBI Officers. 

83 


84 


85 


A view of Senior Officers’ meeting at the 

CBI Conference Room, New Delhi.

The growth of CBI and increase in the 

volume of work demanded a centralized monitoring 

of its cases and better coordination amongst the 

branches. 

Hence, the need arose for a Command Centre. 

The Command Centre coordinates all activities of CBI 

relating to Information Technology and provides 

online communication amongst the branches located 

in various parts of the country. It plays an important 

role in crisis management relating to the investigation 

of major cases. It has cyber forensics and digital 

analysis centre, network monitoring centre and 

strategic communication centre, besides other 

facilities. 

86 


Command Centre, CBI Headquarters, New Delhi

Shri K.C. Pant, Union Minister of 

State for Home Affairs at CFSL along 

with Dr. H.L. Bami, Director, CFSL 

th 

on 26 April, 1971. 

CENTRAL FORENSIC SCIENCE 

LABORATORY 

The Ministry of Home Affairs, 

Government of India, set up a 

Forensic Science Laboratory 

(CFSL) for Delhi Police and the CBI 

under the administrative control of 

the CBI in 1968. It has now grown 

into a first rate modern laboratory 

counted among the 'few best' in the 

country. The CFSL has ten fullyequipped 

Divisions, namely, 

Ballistics, Biology, Chemistry, 

Computer Forensics, Documents, 

Fingerprints, Lie Detector, Photo 

and Scientific Aids, Physics and 

Serology with an additional stateof-the-art 

laboratory for DNA 

profiling. 

87 


A view of work at CFSL, New Delhi 

88 


A p a r t f r o m i t s o r i g i n a l 

beneficiaries, the CFSL now caters to the 

forensic needs of all the Central 

Government Departments, State 

Forensic Science Laboratories, Defence 

Forces, Government Undertakings, 

Banks and so forth in investigating 

criminal cases. 

It has name for its professional 

excellence and scientific and objective 

studies. 

Experts at Fingerprint Laboratory, CFSL, New Delhi 

89

CBI Chapt 4 part1 pg 62-89 - Central Bureau of Investigation

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