PM Modi led panel removes CBI boss Alok Verma, again
Less than 2 days after he was reinstated as Chief of Central Bureau of Investigation, Alok Verma was on Thursday removed from the top post by a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The selection panel, which consisted of Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice AK Sikri, took the decision a short while ago. Justice Sikri was nominated by CJI Ranjan Gogoi.
Verma was shunted out after PM Modi, Justice Sikri's votes
At the meeting, PM Modi and Justice Sikri voted to sack Verma while Kharge opined he should be kept in the position. A 2:1 verdict sealed Verma's fate and he became the Director General of Fire Services. He will hold office till January 31, when his tenure was supposed to end as CBI boss. Meanwhile, Nageshwar Rao was appointed as interim director of CBI.
The committee met on Wednesday too
The high-powered committee met on Wednesday but couldn't reach anything conclusive. Earlier this week, the top court sent Verma on duty but clipped his wings. He was asked to not take any policy decision. But soon after he took office, Verma reversed few of the orders of Nageshwar Rao, who was given the charge of the federal agency two months ago.
In October 2018, Verma and Asthana were divested of powers
To recall, Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana were divested of their powers and sent to forced leaves in October, after their infighting was out in open. The CBI boss approached the SC challenging the Centre's decision. The case went on for weeks and on Tuesday the top court quashed the Centre's order. SC said CVC hadn't been consulted before Verma's removal was initiated.
Congress attacked Centre over CBI infighting
The Opposition had launched a scathing attack on Centre after CBI went through a turmoil. Congress President Rahul Gandhi asked why was PM Modi in a hurry to sack Verma. In a tweet on Thursday, RaGa wrote that all answers pointed towards Rafale. He said PM Modi doesn't want an investigation into the multi-million crore deal, which the Congress alleges is a scam.
