CBI vs CBI: Congress questions Nageswara Rao’s elevation, says he too is under cloud

Rao, (1986-batch IPS, Orissa), who joined the CBI in 2016, was a joint director with the agency before his elevation. The Congress has questioned the reason behind him superceding other officials for the position.

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Terming Verma’s late night removal from the post as illegal and unconstitutional, the Congress leader further alleged that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s desperate attempt to cover-up the Rafale scam had pushed India’s premier investigation agency into complete disintegration”.

Alleging that Verma was removed owing to his keenness to probe the “layers of corruption” in the Rafale scam, Surjewala further stated: “A scared and panic-stricken Prime Minister’s Office had forced the CBI director (Verma) to go on leave at 2 am in the night, and transferred other officers, to frantically bury the corruption track. This is the famous ‘Modi Made Gujarat model’ for cloak and dagger mugging of the CBI to stifle, subjugate, and suppress the CBI.”

The Congress has claimed that a Supreme Court ruling and the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, (more popularly known as the CBI Act) had made it clear that only the Selection Committee, comprising the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister, and the Leader of Opposition, had powers to remove or transfer the incumbent CBI director, and also appoint his successor.

Rebutting Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s contention that the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had such powers, Surjewala added, “The law is clear. The CVC cannot supercede the Selection Committee. The Finance Minister (Jaitley) has played the perfect spin doctor of the government.” He went on to chide Jaitley as a “Court Jester” in the “Modi Sultanate.” The Opposition party even targeted the CVC.

“Why is the CVC acting as the Modi government’s captive puppet of the government,” alleged Surjewala, while accusing the Modi government of “systematically dismantling, destroying and undermining public institutions”.