GUWAHATI / AGARTALA, Sep 11 (TIWN): Miffed at the manner of CID's investigation into the multi-crore Louis Berger bribery scandal, the Gauhati High Court has ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) to probe the case. Directing the CBI Director to take over the case, a division HC bench of Chief Justice Ajit Singh and Justice MonjitBhuyan in its order said that the CID has not investigated the case in right earnest and has been conducting the same in partisan manner. "It is crystal clear that the investigating agency has not investigated the case in right earnest and has been conducting the same in a partisan manner. The mystery of such allegations involving misappropriation of enormous public money must not haunt the people of the State indefinitely and it must come to a logical end at the earliest," the HC bench said.

"CID is under the State government and since high ranking officials are involved in awarding contract after taking huge amount of bribe, we are of the view that the CID is not in a position to act independently to bring the investigation to a fair and logical conclusion in accordance with law. In this background, we are of the view that the investigation of the case should not be conducted by any investigation agency of the State government and there is a need for an investigation by the CBI," said the HC order.

The court further directed CID to submit the case diary in a sealed cover to the custody of Registrar General .

The High Court after completing necessary formalities will hand over the case diary to the concerned CBI official. 

"CID is under the State government and since high ranking officials are involved in the case, we are of the view that the CID is not in a position to act independently ," HCs views on the investigation .

The HC has also asked the State government and the police to fully cooperate with the CBI when it begins investigation into the case. 

In July 2015, Louis Berger International Inc, a New Jersey-based construction management company, told a court in the US that it had bribed officials to win the contract for project management consultancy in a Guwahati water supply project.

The US court documents revealed that the firm and several consortium partners paid bribes totaling Rs 6.1 crore for two water development projects in Goa and Guwahati.The Minister , who was in the Congress party then , is the key suspect in this bribe case .

In Guwahati, the CID began investigation in August 2015, following the then Congress government ordering a probe into the case.

Sate Finance Minister HimantaBiswaSarma, who was then Guwahati development department (GDD) minister for Congress, was suspected to be the 'key suspect' in the scam. BJP, who had then been in the opposition, had also accused Sarma of being the culprit in the case.

Social activist BhabenHandique had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) (number 85/2015) seeking an investigation by an independent agency, such as the CBI, into the scandal.

Petitioner Handique has welcomed the Gauhati High Court order of the handing over the case to CBI

But now the BJP , who is in power in Assam , is silent against Himanta as the scamstar is now in the saffron brigade .  During his visits to Tripura , HimantaBiswa Sharma often accuses the LF govt of being corrupt and gives lofty promises to the people ensuring that BJP will give good governance in the state once it comes to power. But the question is ," How is such a corrupt minister's promises will bring good fortune for Tripura ? And why BJPs top brass like Amit Shah and Narendra Modi are giving too much importance to such a corrupt politician ?"