Alok Verma rejoins CBI office
new delhi — A day after the Supreme Court reinstated Alok Verma as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director with limited powers, he resumed attending office on Wednesday and reviewed the progress of various high profile cases.
Verma, who was sent on forced leave on the night of October 2324, returned to work after almost two-and-a-half months.
At the CBI headquarters, Verma was received by M. Nageswara Rao, who was appointed to look after Verma’s duties and functions.
Verma went directly to his cabin on the 10th floor, which was closed since the time he was divested of his powers.
Two CBI officials who were transferred by Rao also arrived at the agency headquarters to meet Verma. According to a CBI source, Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) A.K. Bassi and Ashwani Kumar met Verma.
The source said he also met several other officials and reviewed the progress of various high profile cases. Verma, a 1979-batch IPS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, was Delhi Police Commissioner before his appointment as CBI Director on February 1, 2017. His tenure ends on January 31.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday nominated Justice A.K. Sikri to represent him in the meeting of a high powered committee that would take up government’s move to divest CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers, functions and duties including supervisory role in the wake of a complaint by the Special Director, Rakesh Asthana. The meeting of the high powered committee, sources in top court said, was slated to take place on Wednesday evening at Lok Kalyan Marg, the official residence of the prime minister.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge of Congress and Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi are members of the committee.
Chief Justice Gogoi, sources said, is staying away from the meeting as he authored the judgement by which Verma was on Tuesday reinstated as CBI Director and his powers were restored albeit with a rider that he would “cease and desist” from taking any “major policy” decisions and only attend routine functions. —