Hunt begins for new CBI chief

Government has set in motion the process to find a new Director for CBI as its incumbent Ashwini Kumar will be retiring by the end of this month.

Government has set in motion the process to find a new Director for CBI as its incumbent Ashwini Kumar will be retiring by the end of this month.

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A panel comprising the Cabinet Secretary, the CVC, the Secretary, Department of Personnel, and the home secretary are likely to meet on Friday and shortlist the IPS officials eligible for the post.

According to Supreme Court guidelines, officials having experience in anti-corruption or CBI from the seniormost four batches of IPS cadre will be empanelled, following which a screening of three officers would be sent to the Appointments' Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Officers from 1972 batch to 1975 are likely to figure in the list which will be scrutinised by the panel.

Official sources said the present CBI Director, a 1973 batch officer, may get an extension.

A P Singh, a 1974 batch IPS officer from Jharkhand cadre, is among the front runners.

The government will have to finalise the names to head Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing also as the incumbents Rajiv Mathur and K C Verma would be retiring on December 31 and January 31 next year.

While Nechal Sandhu is tipped to be the next Intelligence Bureau Chief, several names, including that of Secretary (Internal Security) U K Bansal in Union Home Ministry, was doing the rounds for RAW chief.