January 10, 2019

Central Bureau of Investigation Director Alok Verma has been sacked on Thursday following a 2-hour-long meeting of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Selection Committee in New Delhi.

The panel which also included Mallikarjun Kharge, the leader of the largest party in the Lok Sabha & the 2nd senior-most Supreme Court judge, Justice AK Sikri, decided to remove Alok Verma with a 2-1 majority.

While PM Modi & Justice Sikri voted in favor of removing Verma, Kharge was against the removal. The panel previously convened on Wednesday night. However, the meeting remained inconclusive.

Alok Verma has now been appointed as the DG of Fire Services.

CBI Chief Verma & his second-in-command Special Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on the forced leave around 2 months ago in October 2018 after reports of differences between the two. The two seniormost CBI officials had accused each other of corruption.

After a few weeks of an all-out war between Verma & Asthana, the Centre cracked the whip & sent both the officers on leave.

Alok Verma challenged his "forced leave" in the Supreme Court which on Tuesday (January 8, 2019) reinstated him while making it clear that he'll desist from taking any major policy decision till a high-powered committee considers the issue of "divestment of power & authority".

"We deem it proper to direct that Verma, Director CBI, upon reinstatement, will cease & desist from taking any major policy decisions till the decision of the committee permitting such actions & decisions becomes available within the time frame indicated," a 3-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said.

Asthana also approached the Delhi High Court for quashing of an FIR registered by the CBI, reportedly at the instance of Verma, in an alleged corruption case. A decision in this regard is pending in the HC.

Verma's 2-year fixed tenure as CBI director would have ended on 31st January.

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