RAKESH ASTHANA IS INTERIM CBI DIRECTOR

Central Bureau of Investigation’s additional director Rakesh Asthana was named as the agency’s interim director, replacing incumbent Anil Sinha whose tenure ended on Friday, an official statement said. Asthana, a 1984 Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service officer, was appointed as CBI additional director general in April. He has headed the team probing the VVIP chopper scam and the alleged loan fraud by former liquor baron Vijay Mallya

NEW DELHI: CBI director Anil Sinha retired on Friday and handed the baton to his second-in-command, Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, as the government did not name a full-time chief for the premier investigating agency.

Asthana, a 1984-batch officer, got elevated to the second position two days ago when special director RK Dutta, who was among the frontrunners for the top post, was shifted to the Union home ministry as a special secretary.

The post of second special secretary was created for the first time in the ministry. It is for the first time in 10 years that no new CBI chief has been named to succeed after the incumbent completed his tenure. Sinha was heading the agency for two years.

“The competent authority has approved assignment of additional charge of the post of director, CBI, to Rakesh Asthana, IPS (GJ: 1984), Additional Director, CBI with effect from the date of relinquishment of charge by Anil Kumar Sinha, IPS (BH:1979) on completion of his tenure with immediate effect and until further orders,” said an order by the department of personnel and training.

Asthana is said to be close to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, both from Gujarat. He supervised the initial probe into the Godhra incident when he was inspector general of police, Vadodara range. He was also police commissioner of Vadodara and Surat.

SUNIL LANBA, Navy chief