Alok Verma quits, says denied natural justice Back at the helm, Rao undoes CBI transfers ordered by ousted Verma

UNCEREMONIOUS EXIT ‘Wasn’t given chance to explain’

NEW DELHI: Alok Verma quit on Friday without spending even a day at work as director general of fire services, civil defence and home guards, using his resignation letter to complain bitterly that he had been denied “natural justice” by a high-level panel that removed him from the helm of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) one day ago based on a report by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) .

It was an unceremonious exit for the Indian Police Services (IPS) officer, who was stripped of his powers as CBI director and sent on forced leave by the government on the intervening night of October 23-24, reinstated conditionally by the Supreme Court on January 9 and two days later ousted from the agency and reassigned to the new job by the threemember selection committee, headed by the Prime Minister, which chooses the CBI chief.

“The Selection Committee has not provided the undersigned an opportunity to explain the details as recorded by the CVC before arriving at the decision,” Verma wrote in his resignation letter. “Natural Justice was scuttled and the entire process was turned upside down in ensuring that the undersigned is removed from the post of Director, CBI.”

Verma, 61, was to retire on January 31, 2019 from his fixedtenure, two-year stint as CBI chief although he would have superannuated on July 31, 2017 in the normal course. He noted in his letter that he was no longer NEW DELHI: Interim CBI Director M Nageshwar Rao has cancelled all transfer decisions taken by his ousted predecessor Alok Verma, reverting to the position of officials as on January 8, officials said.

The fresh order issued by Rao on Friday declared all the orders issued by Verma as “non est”.

“...And consequently all actions in pursuance thereof by all concerned are also hereby declared as null and void. In other words, status-quo ante as on January 8 , 2 0 1 9 s t ands restored,” the order accessed by PTI said.

Verma, after being reinstated by the Supreme Court on January 8, had undone all the transfers done by Rao.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday directed Rao not to take any major policy decisions while the Central Vigilance Commission completed its probe against Alok Verma.

THE FRESH ORDER ISSUED BY RAO ON FRIDAY DECLARED ALL THE ORDERS ISSUED BY VERMA AS “NON EST”