Time to redeem lost glory of CBI! Know all about Ranjit Sinha, chief of 'Caged parrot'

New Delhi, Dec 2: On Tuesday, a selection panel will discuss about appointment of new CBI chief as tenure of incumbent Director Ranjit Sinha ends on the day. Reportedly, a meeting will be held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence where whole issue will be discussed at length. Sinha has been accused of abusing his office as head of the country's premier investigating agency, CBI and giving undue favours to those involved in various scams.

Who will succeed Sinha?

• There are couple of names doing rounds as successor of Ranjit Sinha
• Front runner in the race is 1977-batch IPS officers and Director General of Rajasthan Police Omendra Bharadwaj.
• Then, special secretary in home ministry Prakash Mishra and current chief of Kerala Police, KS Balasubramaniam are also in the probable list.

Ranjit Sinha and his controversial past

• Born and raised in Patna , Sinha was trained to be a geologist from the Patna University.
• At the age of 21 years, he joined Bihar cadre of the Indian Police Service (IPS)
• He has been like a controversy child since he joined elite force,1974 batch Bihar cadre IPS officer.
• Sinha is considered to be close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who once kept the post of the DG of the RPF unfilled for three months till Sinha was appointed to the post.
• In 1996, a DIG in the CBI UN Biswas had accused Sinha of scuttling the investigation to protect the accused, Lalu Prasad Yadav in the Fodder Scam case.
• In 2012, he was appointed as CBI chief even if CVC had recommended two other names Sharad Sinha, the Director,NIA and Atul, Director General, Uttar Pradesh.
• BJP had opposed this move of UPA saying that Government didn't not follow proper norm on the matter.
• Neeraj Kumar who was the Delhi Police Commissioner at that time even went to court against the appointment.
• Apart from these lows, Sinha's tenure has some highs also.
• He busted some big bribery cases involving a railway board member, chairman and managing director of a public sector Bank, chief executive officer of censor board among others.

Inglorious tenure as CBI chief

• Since his appointment in 2012, Sinha has been at centre of controversies.
• Most recently he faced severe criticism of Supreme Court over probe in Coalgate and 2G scam.
• He faced ire of the court for shoddy probe in coal scam cases and sharing of status report with the then law minister Ashwani Kumar
• Fumed with agency's role in 2G, coal scam the apex court even gave sobriquet of "caged parrot" to the investigating agency
• "I am not going to say anything. I have done no good work. Write what you want to write. Enough dirt has been thrown upon me," peeved CBI director said on Monday

Selection panel and DSPE (Amendment) Act

• The panel includes PM Modi, leader of single largest opposition party (Congress) in the LS Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India H L Dattu.
• Recently, the Parliament had passed amendment to Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014.
• As per the new amendment the leader of single largest Opposition party in LS can be included in panel even if post of LoP is not recognised
• Earlier this year, the Lokpal Act had amended the DSPE Act, which governs the functioning of the CBI.
• Under the existing provisions, the CBI chief has to be appointed by the central government on the basis of recommendation of the selection committee.

It's high time, Government should ensure that new appointment must be fair by all means. The glory of the investigating agency which has been eroded recently, must be redeemed back.