In hearing exiled CBI chief Alok Verma’s petition challenging the government’s decision to divest him of his powers and send him on forced leave, a Supreme Court bench of Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph set aside the government order and reinstated Alok Verma as CBI director.
The Supreme Court said that the government did not have the authority to send Alok Verma on leave. The only institution that can take action against the CBI director is the high-powered committee consisting of the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Though the SC reinstates Verma as the CBI Chief, he, however, cannot take major policy decisions until the CVC enquiry against him is over.
The select committee has been requested to meet within a week in order to decide on whether any action must or needs to be taken against Alok Verma. This committee is the same committee that has the powers to appoint a CBI director.
Verma was sent on leave by the government after a feud between him and his deputy, CBI special director Rakesh Asthana, became public. The two top CBI officers had accused each other of corruption, leading to the situation being termed CBI vs CBI.
Alok Verma contended that the Narendra Modi government had not authority to send him on forced leave, while the government maintained that the charges against him needed to be independently investigated
