Alok Verma breaks his silence, calls decision to oust him unfair
New Delhi, Jan 11: Alok Verma, who has been unceremoniously removed from the post of CBI director by a high-powered selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has claimed that he was transferred on the basis of "false, unsubstantiated and frivolous allegations" made by only one person who was inimical to him.
The PM Modi-led committee removed Alok Verma from the post on Thursday on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty.
Alok Verma removed as CBI chief by selection panel
Breaking his silence over the issue, Verma, in a statement to PTI late on Thursday night, said the CBI being a prime investigating agency dealing in corruption in high public places is an institution whose independence should be preserved and protected.
"It must function without external influences. I have tried to uphold the integrity of the institution while attempts were being made to destroy it. The same can be seen from the orders of the central government and the CVC dated October 23, 2018, which were without jurisdiction and were set aside," he said.
Alok
Verma
said
the
independence
of
the
CBI
should
be
protected
and
preserved
Alok
Verma
termed
it
"sad"
that
he
was
transferred
to
another
post
pursuant
to
the
orders
of
the
committee
on
the
basis
of
"false,
unsubstantiated
and
frivolous
allegations
made
by
only
one
person,
who
was
inimical
to
him".
The 1979-batch IPS officer has been posted as the Director General Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards, under the Union Home Ministry. The charge of the CBI has been given to Additional Director M Nageshwar Rao, said a government order issued on Thursday evening.
Headed by the prime minister, the high-powered committee comprised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice A K Sikri, appointed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as his nominee.
Verma said the committee was assigned the task of deciding his future course of action as the director of the CBI.
Delhi HC to pronounce verdict tomorrow on Rakesh Asthana's plea to quash FIR against him
"I have stood up for the integrity of the institution, and if asked will do it again in order to uphold the rule of law," he said.
Additional
Director
M
Nageshwar
Rao
has
been
given
the
charge
of
the
CBI
Verma
had
resumed
duty
as
CBI
director
on
Wednesday,
a
day
after
the
Supreme
Court
paved
his
return
with
some
riders
and
asked
the
three-member
panel
that
selects
the
CBI
chief
to
decide
on
his
continuance
in
a
week
in
the
light
of
charges
against
him
in
the
report
of
the
Central
Vigilance
Commission(CVC).
Verma's two-year tenure as director of Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) was due to end on January 31.
According to officials, there were eight charges against him in the CVC report presented before the panel which included alleged attempts to induct tainted officers, compromising probe in the case related to controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi, IRCTC scam among others.
Special Director Rakesh Asthana, with whom Verma had a public feud, had given a complaint against him to the Cabinet Secretary in August which was referred to the CVC.
The
CVC
report
spoke
about
the
controversial
meat
exporter
Moin
Qureshi's
case
and
claimed
that
the
CBI
team
looking
into
it
wanted
to
make
Hyderabad-based
businessman
Sathish
Babu
Sana
an
accused
but
Verma
never
gave
clearance,
officials
said.
The
probe
in
this
case
was
led
by
Rakesh
Asthana.
Asthana was later booked by the CBI on the basis of a magisterial statement recorded by Sathish Sana who had claimed that two businessman brothers had sought bribe of Rs. 5 crore from him to get relief to him in a case against him using their contacts with the special director.