PM Modi's 'blue-eyed boy' Rakesh Asthana moved out of CBI, days after High-powered Committee removed Alok Verma
The government of India on Thursday has removed Rakesh Asthana and 3 other officers from the CBI, with immediate effect from the agency.
The tenure of all the 4 officers was curtailed by the Department of Personnel and Training, and Rakesh Asthana is accused of taking bribe in the Moin Qureshi case, wherein the ousted CBI director Alok Verma had filed an FIR in the matter and Delhi High Court has asked the CBI to investigate the case and submit the report within 6 weeks.
Tenure of CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana and three other CBI officers curtailed by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/TXbhwQ9kVO
— ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2019
The government notification read as, “The Appointment Committee of the cabinet has approved the proposal of DOPT/AV division for curtailment of tenure of the following officers working in CBI in the rank of Special Director/ Joint Director/ DIG/SP with immediate effect. 1 Rakesh Asthana 2. Arun Kumar Sharma 3 Manish Kumar Sinha 4 Jayant J Naiknavare.”
This decision has come after the High-powered Committee led by PM Narendra Modi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice AK Sikri had ousted Alok Verma from the director’s post of the CBI.
First published: 17 January 2019, 20:58 IST