Government sends CBI chief and deputy on leave: Verma challenges SC
A sequence of dramatic developments unfolded on Tuesday night. This led to the government sending CBI’s feuding No.1 and No.2 on leave. Director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Ashana are on leave on the basis of a strongly worded report from the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
The feud has been going on for over a year. Asthana filed a complaint accusing Verma of several improprieties. The CBI chief retaliated registering an FIR against him for alleged corruption. This resulted in both of them being benched and as many as 14 officers being shuffled.
This decision has led to an immediate protest the opposition. They are saying that this action was taken in order to prevent an investigation into sensitive cases concerning the government. Verma, on the other hand, filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. He seeked to squash the order that removed him from office.
The CVC order stated that Verma had not cooperated in making available records relating to complaints about his own role in allegedly shielding one of the main suspects in the UPA era railway contacts scan and also allegations levelled Asthana about bribes in the Moin Qureshi case.
The CVC said that despite repeated reminders, the CBI failed to provide any sort of information on the two cases. The attitude of the CBI displayed non-cooperation and non-compliance and amounted to wilful obstruction of the functioning of the CVC.
There was so much turmoil in the premier investigation agency that the government had to overlook the No.3, AK Sharma, allegedly for god proximity to Verma. The government appointed Joint Director, M Nageswar Rao as the interim CBI chief.
- Verma’s office was searched on Wednesday morning. There were serious corruption charges against him. Is the government really trying to stop investigation? What do you think?
