Alok Verma back in office as CBI chief, three months after ‘forced leave’ by Centre

CBI director Alok Varma leaves for office (Express Photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

The court has, however, directed Verma not to take any policy decisions till the statutory committee meets within a week and decides further on the matter. The statutory committee comprises the Prime Minister, CJI and the Leader of the Opposition.

CBI Director Alok Verma leaves for office (express photo by Prem Nath Pandey)

In a 1997 judgment, the Supreme Court had entrusted the task of selecting the CBI Director to the Committee, given the CVC Superintendence over the agency’s functioning, and fixed a minimum two-year tenure for the Director. Verma retires on January 31.

The October order also sent Verma’s deputy Special Director Rakesh Asthana, booked by the agency on corruption charges, into exile in a first-of-its-kind move by the government in the agency’s history. The government had given charge to then Joint Director M Nageswara Rao who was later promoted as additional director in the agency. The Supreme Court has also set aside the appointment of Rao.

Verma had challenged the move in the Supreme Court which clipped the powers of Rao as director in-charge and barred him from taking any major policy decision till a final order comes from it.