CBI vs CBI: Supreme Court to hear PIL against the govt move in CBI director Alok Verma's case today

In a major development which is bound to happen today, the Supreme Court will be hearing a plea by an NGO Common Cause and CBI director Alok Verma, against the government’s move of sending the latter on leave.

The CBI had begun an investigation into the matter involving its special director Rakesh Asthana, who was charged as an accused in the FIR lodged by CBI director Alok Verma in a bribery scandal of Moin Qureshi.

The Supreme Court’s bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will hear a plea by senior advocate Prashant Bhushan which will be clubbed with a petition filed by Alok Verma himself.

The NGO has urged the apex court to form a “Special Investigating Team to look into the recent unprecedented events… and also to investigate the allegations of corruption against senior officials of the CBI and submit the report… for the consequent action”.

The plea of the NGO added that “…the CVC, in the guise of power of superintendence, could not have withdrawn the work from the Director and handed it over to a new officer without the consent of the committee… At most, the complaint against Mr Verma should have been referred to the committee.”

“His removal is an insult to the Constitution, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition. The move is illegal, criminal and unconstitutional” the Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said yesterday.

The Supreme Court will have to decide the onus today as both the parties seem to be at fault and it’s the Constitution which will have to embrace democracy once again, so as to save the endangering institutions which are premier in its own terms.

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