CBI vs CBI: Supreme Court to pronounce its verdict today in director Alok Verma case; agency remains at edge
After all the drama in the CBI which took place in past two months, the Supreme Court is due to deliver its verdict today in the case.
Alok Verma, then CBI director had filed a plea in the apex court saying that his removal as the director from the agency and sending him on leave is unconstitutional and the committee should have been asked before taking such action.
The committee which appoints CBI director includes the Chief Justice, Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition, who were not contacted while the CBI director was sent on leave.
As per the government, the CBI director and its joint director had been indulging in a street fight where both the officials had been raising allegations against each other and Attorney General Venugopal submitted in the court that it was not a transfer rather he was set on leave within the constitutional limits and the Central Vigilance Commissioner was asked to investigate the matter.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is on leave today and the judgement on CBI Director Alok Verma’s plea will be pronounced by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul in court number 12. (File pic of Ranjan Gogoi) pic.twitter.com/2OYK9Vq1Cd
— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2019
Although, the Chief Justice led bench by Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the government that “If you had tolerated since July, it is not something that required immediate action as the circumstances were culminating for a long time.”
The CVC replied to the apex court that “Extraordinary situations need extraordinary remedies, the Central Vigilance Commission's superintendence (over CBI) encompasses 'surprise, extraordinary situations.”
The CVC in its inquiry report submitted to the Supreme Court said that “two senior officers instead of investigating serious cases were investigating each other, were raiding each other…Unless CVC has power to act in surprise situations, it will become a toothless body.”
First published: 8 January 2019, 10:33 IST