The top two CBI officers were fighting like cats, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Central government today told the Supreme Court that the two top officers of the CBI were “fighting like cats”, thereby arguing that it was forced to take away the powers of agency chief Alok Verma. This, the government argued, was “in larger public interest to ensure institutional integrity”. It was an extraordinary situation, the Centre further told the apex court.

The Supreme Court is now hearing the petition of the benched CBI chief against the government’s action of forcing him to go on leave. The court is also hearing his response to a vigilance report on him.

Verma’s lawyer has argued that the government order asking him to go on leave has no basis and that the CBI director can be removed only with the approval of a committee.

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Also read: EXCLUSIVE: West Bengal Police questions CBI officer: How a Kolkata-based businessman linked to the Bihar fodder scam mysteriously escaped from his custody near Kolkata

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Benched CBI director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana have made allegations of corruption against each other, following which, in a late night order both were asked to go on leave. Verma later moved court arguing that the government had no powers to do this. There is a rule that the decision to remove the CBI chief must be taken by a group that includes the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition in Parliament.

On Wednesday, the government said that it was watching “with amazement” what the two officers were doing… “they were fighting like cats”. It was further said that the Centre had to act and strip Verma of his powers till the Chief Vigilance Commission took a decision.

Attorney General KK Venugopal further told the court that the TV channels had a field day when the matter went public and “the CBI became an object of ridicule”.

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