Alok Verma, who was, yesterday, reinstated as the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI,) cancelled all the transfer orders issued by M. Nageswara Rao.
After the Central Government sent back Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana, the Special Director of CBI, on compulsory leave, M. Nageswara Rao was appointed as the interim CBI Director. Soon after retaining power as the CBI Director, yesterday, Mr. Verma cancelled the transfer orders of 7 CBI officers of his team, who were the investigating officers of the Rakesh Asthana case. The officers who were transferred were A.K. Bassi, the Deputy Superintendent of the Police, M.K. Sinha, the Deputy Inspector General, and A.K. Sharma, the Joint Director of the CBI.
The dispute started between Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana when they accused each other of bribery and corruption. Following the dispute, the Central Government sent both the officers on compulsory leave on the 23rd of October.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court (SC,) ordered, Alok Verma be reinstated as the CBI Director, whereas Rakesh Asthana is still on compulsory leave.
The SC rested the final decision regarding the Alok Verma case upon a Selection Committee.
The Selection Committee comprises Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the opposition party in the Lok Sabha (the Congress,) and Justice A.K. Sikri.
After yesterday’s meet, the Committee is expected to meet again, today, to discuss the case.
Mallikarjun Kharge, while addressing the media, said, he “asked for a copy of the Central Vigilance Committee report that looked into the allegations against Verma and suggested that the CBI director be given a chance to defend himself before the committee.” He also asked for some time to go through the reports.
Mr. Kharge also asked the Centre to compensate Mr. Verma for the loss of 77 days of his work, as the tenure of Alok Verma as the CBI Director ends on the 31st of January, 2019.
The SC asked the Selection Committee to come up with a conclusion within a week, following which, it will be decided whether Alok Verma should be removed as the CBI Director or not.
Stay tuned for further updates about the story.
