Centre extends CBI chief Praveen Sood's tenure by one more year

The Indian government extended CBI director Praveen Sood's tenure by one year, ensuring continuity in anti-corruption efforts amidst dissent from Rahul Gandhi.

Updated on: May 14, 2026, 05:06:55 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan, New Delhi

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The Union government on Wednesday extended the tenure of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Praveen Sood by one more year, beyond his current term that was to end on May 24, according to a government order.

The Centre on Wednesday extended the tenure of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Praveen Sood by one more year. (Handout)

“The appointments committee of cabinet, based on the recommendations of the selection committee, has approved the extension in tenure of Praveen Sood, IPS (Karnataka cadre, 1986 batch) as Director, CBI, for a period of one year beyond May 24, 2026,” the ministry of personnel said in an order.

The decision to extend Sood’s tenure was taken in a meeting of the selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday. Gandhi had given a strong dissent note on the process of CBI director’s selection, saying he does not want to be a part of a “biased exercise”.

Also Read | 'Mockery of process': Inside Rahul Gandhi's dissent note over selection of new CBI chief

Sood, 61, was appointed to the post on May 25, 2023 for a two-year period, which was extended by a year by the high-powered panel in May last year. This is his second extension in office.

People familiar with the development said the high-powered panel decided to give CBI continuity of the leadership so that ongoing anti-corruption activities of the agency are not affected.

Sood is credited with bringing down the pendency in investigation by the premier agency from 1,695 cases in 2020 to 1,048 cases in 2025, with trials completed in 1,022 cases in 2025, people familiar with the matter said.

His extension came under the provisions of a 2021 law, following amendments in the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, which governs the functioning of CBI.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More

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