Rakesh Asthana – the second-in-command in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who had been benched by the Central government following major differences with his boss Alok Verma – has now been shifted out. Verma was removed from the position of the CBI chief by a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
Asthana has been transferred to the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, though there is a criminal case against him. His transfer though, comes way before his tenure was over in the CBI – the usual time an officer spends in the central investigating agency is seven years.
Verma and Asthana had brought charges of corruption against each other. Verma’s team filed a police case against Asthana, accusing him of taking bribes from a businessman on the agency’s radar. Asthana in turn, made allegations against Verma and said he had been framed. The accusations of the top two CBI officers against each other making headline for days, both were sent on forced leave in October.
Verma had then moved court, saying that only the panel with the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and the Chief Justice of India as members could remove him before tenure. The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Verma, asking the panel to take the final decision. A day after this verdict, the panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi transferred Verma out. He was then posted him as the Chief of Fire Services. The officer, whose tenure as the CBI chief was to end on January 31, quit a day later, refusing to take charge.
A new CBI chief will be appointed by the PM-led committee, for which a meeting will be held on January 24.
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