Myths Busted - Workload in CBI

Many a people repeatedly ask me this question: Is workload more in Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) ? How many ever articles they might have read over the internet and got clarified, the curiosity to know the actual truth (what is actual truth? only they can define) remains with them and this question haunts their minds forever until they get into the service and know the answer to their question themselves. Let us see how to understand this relative term of "Workload".

Daily duties of CBI SI:

To understand "Workload", first we should know the activities of a CBI officer. SI generally works on below items. These activities decide the work-style and hence the lifestyle of a CBI officer. Your office day would not be complete without any one of the below item, not all in every day.

• As SI, you need to support your superior investigating officers (IO) in their investigation. This is to make you ready for your investigation on your own when you become Inspector.

• Attend the court and observe the arguments of lawyers so that you can use the experience while you handle a case in future.

• Catch absconding criminals. You can use your brain in all ways to the fullest. For this, you might need to work in the field (some times one-two continuous weeks) to trace and catch them irrespective of hot summer, thunderstorm or chilling cold. Your feet are your best teacher and you are the only director of your ideas to trace the absconder. Sometimes, you might just need to give directions to constable/head-constables who are in the field on how to execute your ideas.

• Scrutinize documents and documents and documents. This is applicable for any IO of any rank.

• Attend Joint Surprise Checks (JSC) of any department along with your seniors.

       Do you know what is this?     

1. Example: You received some credible information that TTs in Shatabdi/Duranto/Rajadhani train are taking money to offer seats to the passengers without actually giving them the voucher. Like this everyday they are amassing huge cash. Here comes "C B I". Board the train as if you are passengers without proper ticket and catch them red-handed with all the cash in their pockets. Now, they can't claim that it is their personal cash as they need to declare how much personal cash they are carrying before they board a train for job, everyday. Like this, on information, you can conduct surprise checks on ANY central government department in your jurisdiction. How this is different from regular trap? It is just that we also involve their department's vigilance officer in this JSCs.

• Carry out any secret verification about any person. It can also be on your colleague. Same way, some else might be doing on you.

• Complaint verification by going to the field and check genuineness of the complaint.

• Attend Office Meetings.

• Assist in raids or house searches.

• Assist in interrogation of accused and witnesses.

• Refresh the memory of witnesses before they are examined in the courts.

• Get information on any crime that can be handled by CBI.

• Meet bank officials (of any scale) to inquire about any money transaction.

• You are given a number of old case files that are under court trial. You are required to prepare counters to the petitions filed by the accused on various issues like release of property documents, unlocking of lockers, defreezing of bank accounts etc.

• With the permission of CBI judge, you are given a case and hence you are required to investigate the case, everything on your own. Doing a case is NOT a respite from doing some of the activities mentioned above.

• Attend internal trainings
  

• Phone calls analysis

CBI job is not an independent work. You need to closely work with superior officers (SP and above), Accused, Witnesses, CBI Public Prosecutors, Court Staff and Subordinate staff. When so many people are involved in every case, there is a scope for deviation from what you might have planned. This happens because the world is not idle and everything can't go as per your plan.  So, this randomness might need you to extend your hours as per the need. This extension of hours need not be always.

Example1: You might have planned for a movie at 18:30 with your family and there would be a call from your superior officer to come for a meeting to update about the progress of investigation as your boss himself got such phone call from his superior. I don't say this happens every time. This is just an hypothetical example to give you a feeling what is randomness and things not going in the planned way.

Example2: You call a witness to come to office on specific date to refresh his memory on 10 yrs old case. Being an handling IO, you prepare for that session spending 2-3 hours. Now, the witness calls you and say that he can't come on that specific date saying he couldn't get train reservation due to festival rush or his wife/mom fell sick or some relative died. Now, you need to change your plan now.

Moral: Be very flexible in this dept. Have a plan to unplan things 😎.

CBI job is not like state police where they needs to be available 24*7 for law and order and state police has a concern for their personal leaves. But in CBI, though you are police, your work is mostly during office hours and get holidays like any other central govt employee. Workload is only during raids and deadlines. During my tenure in CBI so far, at least in the current branch, i was never forced by anyone to stay beyond 18:00 and hardly other office staff is available thereafter. It is all volunteered by myself to extend my hours in the office to learn best things in the country that come and visits this office. Read this article in tandem to understand what i am talking about and what is state police job.

CBI ACB job is 70% office work and 30% field work. Field work breaks your monotony of sitting and working with the computer all the time and it makes your job more lively. In special crime, it is more field work and we may have to stay away from home for few weeks in the interest of the case. There is lot of touring across India in Special crime and it makes you feel the real police powers more. If you are away from your office for any office work, you are paid for your stay, food and travel as per CPC limits. As per 7 CPC, you get around Rs 1775 (= Rs 800 for food + Rs 750 for lodging + Rs 225 for transport) per each day. The allowances are far better when compared with 6 CPC limits. There were days earlier, before 7 CPC, in which staff used to spend money for office work out of their pocket.

If any one is not willing to work and just want to enjoy the brand of CBI, then this department may not be for them. This department needs a thinking brain, feeling heart and a pair of working hands. There should be an element of sensitivity. If not, I wish them all the best for their wonderful career outside this department. CBI platform is the choice of last resort for any man in India and hence we can't afford to even think to be lethargic.

Example: The below person fought alone in front of the secretariat of Kerala state for 770 days just for proper investigation in is brother's death case. One man battle.

Recently, when this news became viral on social media after his struggle for 700+ days, the Kerala government decided to give the case to CBI for proper investigation. Read more here about his struggle and how he won the battle. Let us suppose you got that case. Now, you being an Investigation office, tell me what would you do!! Just relax ? Would your mind and heart allow you to be relaxed knowing the pain he has undergone on the footpath for his brother for two years, keeping all his personal things aside?

Above one is just a sample example to make sense out of my statements. There are many such cases across India where sheer injustice is being done. In short, i would say CBI job is god sent angles job in delivering justice to the people directly. Are you not feeling proud now?

As they say, there is staff shortage in CBI and if there is no work and not for working, why any organization (Private/Public) should hire anyone? Can i understand this as cadet's mindset not to work at any cost or to work only one/two hours per day? For an outsider, you may be an CBI officer. But, when you are in office, you are just another officer among all other and you are respected sincerely only when you are honest and a hard-worker with yielding results.

However, CBI is not a jail for the people who has committed the crime of opting that job. In fact, CBI is a responsible platform. Don't you know that the only organization that Supreme court give any case to is CBI which means nothing is better than that in this country !!! If a person having the habit of working for 1-2 hrs in an Audit department joins CBI and works for 3 hrs a day, he will claim that CBI job is very stressful as he started working 50% more. It all depends on how the person thinks about it. Majorly, the working hours in CBI are regular government hours.

Despite reading all my other articles, a few blog readers went to the extent of asking me to share honest opinion about workload in CBI. Many people repetitively tell me that they are in dilemma and they ask me whether they should opt for this service having got very good final marks in CGL while many others suggest them to opt either for Income Tax or Examiner. The honest answer lies in your conscience and hence it can't be given by others like me. I can only share my opinion on this personal blog.

How come one say that workload is "more" in CBI, which a relative term, when such person hadn't worked in other central govt depts. Let us suppose it is "more". Are we not paid for that "more" in the form of 20% of basic as special allowance every month and again in the form of 13th month salary? Think balanced !! However, such people are at liberty to believe what is an honest opinion among the various opinions available over the internet.

Finally, If you ask a frustrated and inefficient officer, he would definitely say that work load is more as he feels mental pressure all the time. If you ask an efficient officer, he would say that work load is normal as he enjoys the work and finishes the work in time. So, it is up to the maturity of aspirant/reader to decide who is giving genuine opinion w.r.t work load. Be broadminded and come to this department. Narrow mindedness wouldn't fetch you plaudits in the most revered organization of this vast country. Have clarity on what you want to do and don't let others decide your thinking.

Best of luck !! 

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