CJI to agencies: You must focus on crimes that threaten security

New Delhi: Underlining that investigative agencies like the CBI have been spread "too thin" over the years, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday said they must pick their battles to promote efficiency and concentrate attention on crimes that truly threaten the nation's security, economic health and public order.

Expressing concern over instances of "unwarranted" confiscation of personal devices during raids, the CJI said they highlight the need to strike a balance between investigative imperatives and individual privacy rights.

In the realm of criminal justice, the balance between search and seizure powers of agencies like e CBI and individual privacy rights stands at the cornerstone of a just society, he said in his address at the DP Kohli Memorial Lecture in the memory of agency's first director.

"I think we have perhaps spreading our a g encies too thin over the years, despite a rapid change in the environment. Our agencies must concentrate their attention and efforts on that class of crime which threatens the security of the nation,'' he said. (PTI)