Thursday, Mar 28, 2024 | Last Update : 02:49 PM IST

  India   All India  18 Jan 2019  CBI stint of Rakesh Asthana, three other curtailed

CBI stint of Rakesh Asthana, three other curtailed

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Jan 18, 2019, 6:25 am IST
Updated : Jan 18, 2019, 6:25 am IST

Verma and Asthana had levelled allegations of corruption against each other.

Rakesh Asthana (Photo: PTI)
 Rakesh Asthana (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday curtailed the tenures of special director Rakesh Asthana and three more senior officers in the CBI with immediate effect. Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Asthana, who had an unprecedented feud with his boss Verma, was sent on forced leave by the government in October last year.

According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday, tenures of Asthana, Joint Director Arun Kumar Sharma, Deputy Inspector General Manish Kumar Sinha and Superintendent of Police Jayant J. Naiknavare have been curtailed. Verma and Asthana had levelled allegations of corruption against each other. They were sent on forced leave by the government.

Amidst the feud between the two, the CBI registered a corruption case against Asthana when Verma was the agency’s chief. Meanwhile, the government appointed M Nageshwara Rao as the interim CBI chief. Rao had then transferred Sinha, who was probing the FIR against Asthana, to Nagpur from the agency’s Delhi headquarters.

His transfer was, however, reversed by Verma who was again in January given the charge of the CBI Director following a decision by the Supreme Court.

Verma was shunted out as the CBI chief by the Modi-led high-powered committee that comprised Supreme Court judge A K Sikri and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge as the members.

Verma was then appointed as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. He, however, refused to take up the new post, saying he had already superannuated from the Indian Police Service after completing 60 years of age on July 31, 2017. Verma took over as the CBI chief for a fixed two-year term on February 1, 2017.

Tags: rakesh asthana, supreme court