“కథలు కంచికి పోతాయి”(All stories end in Kanchi)”- A Telugu proverb
The Telugu adage suggests that every story eventually reaches their logical conclusion for better or worse or otherwise.
But when it comes to the CBI and ED, the scripts they write, (read the cases they file and the chargesheets they churn out), for political drama don't just end, they get drowned in the murky waters of the Yamuna, a river whose banks the headquarters of these agencies are located, until they simply dissolve.
It’s a fascinating magic trick: one day the agencies are shouting 'Kingpin' from the rooftops, and the next, the entire case vanishes into the toxic foam.
A perfect example is the Delhi Liquor Scam epic written by the CBI, which recently made the journey from a 'massive conspiracy' to a chargesheet of thousands of pages to a 600-page court order, which essentially ruled that the evidence was as invisible as a clean spot in the murky river. It turns out the only thing 'liquor' about the scam was how quickly the “spirits of the charges” fizzled out once they hit the water.
The Delhi Liquor Scam (or the "Scam-That-Isn’t," thanks to the court) is basically the political parallels of the script of the movie “Accused” being streamed on Netflix.
Just like the film, the CBI’s investigation had a great premise but terrible execution. Like the movie script, the CBI promised a high-stakes drama about power, misconduct and corruption, but delivered flat characters, a messy script, and shoddy production.
The investigation was all hype, filled with media trials and dramatic accusations, only to end up as a poorly told story.
In the end, the court’s 600-page order basically acted like a Rotten Tomatoes critic, acquainted with the whole thing for having no plot and even less evidence. It turns out the "scam" was just a bad script that couldn't even make it past the first trailer.
It may be recalled that the Rouse Avenue Court basically gave the CBI’s screenplay of the said scam a "zero-star" review. The judge didn't just find a few plot holes, in fact they declared that the entire pile of "evidence" didn't even show a prima facie case, which is legal speak for "you didn't even try."
It turns out there wasn't even a "grave suspicion," let alone a "massive conspiracy." The court effectively threw the CBI’s chargesheet into the recycling bin, discrediting the entire investigation in one go. It’s a pretty embarrassing moment when your "crime of the century" gets rejected for failing to meet the basic standards of a high school debate.
But does the CBI or ED actually care that their "blockbuster" flopped in court? Probably not. After all, the CBI’s investigative process did exactly what it was supposed to do: it dominated the news cycle and kept the opposition scurrying while the ruling party enjoyed the show.
As the opposition points out, the agencies weren't looking for an Oscar-winning investigation; they just needed a long-running political soap opera to distract the voters to dictate the results of the Delhi assembly elections. The "script" might have been full of holes, but the political box office results were exactly what the directors intended.
On the flip side, this court ruling is basically a "behind-the-scenes" documentary exposing how the Ruling party at the center had allegedly directed this whole production. The perception now is that the entire case was a meticulously fabricated script designed for one thing: character assassination.
It looks like, going by the Court's inferences, the CBI and ED weren't just "investigating"; they were acting as the Ruling party’s personal talent scouts, arresting opposition leaders not to find the truth, but to see if they could break their will and tarnish their reputations in the process.
What the common man, following the court order, believes is that it’s a classic, if shameless, tactic, turning premier agencies into political stagehands to do the dirty work of the ruling party. The "evidence" might have been invisible in court, but the political intent was visible from space.
Apparently, the CBI has reportedly filed an appeal in the Delhi High Court, complaining that the trial judge "ignored" their hard work. A damage control exercise that the agency wants a second opinion on their "creative writing" project.
But let’s be real, at least, for now: the trial court already exposed the truth, ruling that the case wasn’t built on evidence, but built on surmises, wild conjectures, and "inferential leaps" so big they belong in the Olympics.
It turns out the "investigation" was less about bringing anyone to justice and more about serving the ruling party's political cravings. Even if they take it to the High Court, it’s hard to fix a script that’s all "noise" and zero "fact."
