CBI chief Alok Verma back at work with limited powers, day after court win

A day after the Supreme Court set aside the government’s order sending him on forced leave, reinstated CBI Director Alok Verma took charge of his office.

A day after he was reinstated as the CBI Director by the Supreme Court, Alok Verma took charge of his office on Wednesday.

Alok Verma taking charge as a CBI Director at CBI Headquarter in New Delhi, India, on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. (Ravi Choudhary/HTFILE PHOTO)

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court, while hearing the case, had set aside the government’s October 23 order that divested him of his powers and sent him on forced leave.

In its order, the top court said it intended to maintain the independence of the CBI and protect and insulate the office of the CBI director.

However, while setting aside the government’s order and reinstating Verma, the Court also barred him from taking any major policy decisions till the selection committee met and decided on his continuation.

Justice AK Sikri will be part of the Selection Committee along with PM Narendra Modi and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, to look at the continuation of CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma, ANI reported.

The Selection committee has been given one week’s time to meet and discuss the issue. Alok Verma’s tenure as CBI director ends on January 31.

Meanwhile, an official familiar with the development said that among his first acts upon his return, Verma may rescind the transfer orders of some of his key people, considering that transfers are seen as administrative and not policy decisions.

The transfers were ordered by interim director M Nageswara Rao on October 24. Rao had transferred 13 officials including the agency’s joint director (policy) AK Sharma, deputy inspectors general (DIG) MK Sinha, Anish Prasad, KR Chaurasia, Tarun Gauba, additional superintendent of police SS Gurm and deputy superintendent of police AK Bassi.

Bassi and Sinha were probing the FIR registered against Verma’s deputy Rakesh Asthana.

The Centre had placed both Verma and Asthana on forced leave and had divested them of their powers after a feud had broken out between the two officers who had accused one another of corruption.