Supreme Court reinstates Alok Verma as CBI director
The Supreme Court has given a major blow to the Central Government on a longstanding dispute in the country’s largest investigative agency Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today. The court canceled the CVC decision and canceled the decision to send Alok Verma on leave. Along with this decision it became clear that Alok Verma would remain the CBI director.
Only high-level selection committee will decide on Verma
In its verdict, the Supreme Court said that the government has no right to send Alok Verma to the CBI Chief on leave under the law. Only the Select Committee has this right. The Supreme Court said that the High Power Select Committee will be the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The court also said that the committee will decide action on Verma within a week. Alok Verma will not take any policy decision during this period. The court also said that in such a big case, the high level committee will decide.
Verma will not take policy decision for a week
In this matter, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan informed about the decision of the court, saying that the court while reversing the decision of the government and the CVC has decided to restore Alok Verma to his earlier post . In addition, the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the high level committee of CJI have been asked to form a committee and take decision on the case. This committee will take a decision on this within a week. Describing this as Verma’s incomplete victory by Prashant Bhushan, he said that Verma will not be able to take any policy decisions during this period.
Kejriwal links case to Rafale
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has welcomed the Supreme Court decision. He said that Modi government has ruined all the institutions of the country. Kejriwal said in a questioning tone that did the government not remove the CBI director at midnight to stop the investigation of the Rafale scam?
Earlier, the CBI Director, Alok Kumar Verma was sent on leave had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the decision of the central government. This decision is in front of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice SK Kaul and Justice KM Joseph in the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi is on leave today
After the war broke out between CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana, the government had on October 23 last year decided to send the two officers out of their rights and send them on leave. Both the officials had accused each other of corruption.
Along with this, M. Nageshwar Rao, Joint Director of Bureau, was handed over temporary assignment of Director of Investigation Agency. The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice KM Joseph, while hearing the arguments of Alok Verma, Center, Central Vigilance Commission and others on the petition of Alok Verma on December 6 last year, had said that the decision on this will be declared later.
The bench had also heard the petition of NGO Kaman Kaj. This organization had requested the Special Investigation Team to investigate allegations of corruption against Rakesh Asthana, including all the officials of the Bureau of Investigation, under the supervision of the court.
The court directed the Central Vigilance Commission to submit the report in the sealed envelope within two weeks after the scrutiny of the allegations made in the letter received from the Cabinet Secretary in order to maintain dignity of Bureau of Investigation. Not only this, the court had entrusted the responsibility of monitoring the CVC investigation to a retired Supreme Court Judge AK Patnaik.
