Prashant Bhushan challenges Rakesh Asthana's appointment as CBI's interim director

Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a PIL challenging the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

New Delhi, Dec 5: Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a PIL challenging the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Bhushan-led NGO, Common Cause, sought quashing of Asthana's appointment as the interim/acting director of the CBI citing judgment of the apex court in the Vineet Narain case, said reports.

Asthana was named as interim CBI director by the government on December 2, the same day CBI Director Anil Sinha retired from the post.

The frontrunner for the post, special director R K Dutta, was shifted to the Home Ministry as a special secretary to pave the way for Asthana's appointment .

According to reports, Asthana, a 1984 batch IPS officer, is considered to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

He was a key investigator in the multi-crore-rupee fodder scam and also headed a special investigation team (SIT) that probed the burning of the Sabarmati Express train in 2002.

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