DigitEye India Fact Checkers
An image with some information about an ongoing case in Tamil Nadu is going viral on social media. The image talks about the arrest of ED officer Ankit Tiwari in the state and claims that the state government is handing over the case to the CBI.
The viral image says,
“The DMK Government, which flexed muscles by arresting an ED officer and searching his office, seems to have developed cold feet. They have decided to withdraw their notification denying consent to CBI and hand over the Ankit Tiwari case to CBI. Government rattled by the response of ED.”
The case has gained significant traction in Tamil Nadu. Digiteye India received a request to fact check the claims made in the post.
FACT CHECK
The Digiteye India team conducted a keyword search on Google to find out more about this Ankit Tiwari case. No credible news report has mentioned that the case has been handed over to the CBI. Moreover, the viral image has mixed up two unrelated cases.
Talking about the Ankit Tiwari case, a report by The Wire that was published on December 2, 2023 states that an Enforcement Directorate official was arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police allegedly for accepting bribes. The officer has been sent to 15-day police custody. The report adds the state police alleged that the ED official Ankit Tiwari was caught while accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from a doctor in the Dindigul district. Tamil Nadu police also raided the ED office in Madurai.
Another report that was published by The Week that was published on December 2, 2023, mentions that the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) of the Tamil Nadu Police caught the officer with the cash on the Dindigul-Kodaikanal highway. Speaking to The Week, a senior police officer said, “We will not transfer the case to the CBI at any cost. DVAC will take the case to its logical conclusion and the allegations against the ED officer and all those involved in the case will be brought to justice.”
A report published by The Times Of India on December 4, 2023, mentions that the law minister – S Regupathy – said that the Tamil Nadu CM, M K Stalin, will decide if the case should be handed over to the CBI. While the ED has asked the police to take action against the DVAC for mishandling sensitive information in their office, there has been no development on whether the case will be handed over to the CBI.
Additionally, the viral image also has another picture of a gazette from the Tamil Nadu government. The Part II Section 2 of the Gazette is dated June 14, 2023. The Digiteye India team took a look at the government documents and found that this notification deals with the “Withdrawal of consent of the State Government to all members of Delhi Special Police Establishment Act and Jurisdiction in the state of Tamil Nadu under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.”
In June 2023, the Tamil Nadu government withdrew the general consent that is normally given by the states to the CBI to effortlessly investigate corruption cases against central government employees in their states. CBI does not have to apply for the consent, it is given that the consent is there by default. The withdrawal of this consent means that CBI will have to apply for permission from the Tamil Nadu government before they start investigating in the state.
As per a report by The Indian Express dating June 15, 2023, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab, Telangana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Meghalaya, have withdrawn general consent accorded to CBI.
The claim that the case against the ED officer has been handed over to the CBI is, hence, false.
CLAIM: Viral social media posts claim that the Tamil Nadu government has handed over the case of alleged corruption by an ED officer, Ankit Tiwari, to the CBI.
CONCLUSION: Reports tell that the case is still under the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) of the Tamil Nadu Police. The Law minister has said that the Tamil Nadu CM will decide if the case should be handed over to the CBI. There is no official information that suggests that the case has been handed over to the CBI as of date.
RATING – ??? – Misinterpretation
