Kharge: Process of selecting Director, CBI has been vitiated      

A brief background: The Government on December 2 appointed Rakesh Asthana, an IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre, as the officiating director of the Central Bureau of Investigation in place of AK Sinha, who stepped down as director. This is said to be the first time in 10 years that the Government has failed to name a CBI director before the retirement of the incumbent. The Government failed to convene a meeting of the collegium to decide on Sinha’s successor. The collegium that appoints the director consists of the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition or the largest party in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India. Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, voiced concern on the process in Parliament today. This is the full text of his letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Respected Prime Minister,

I am writing this letter to draw your urgent attention towards the matter of appointment of a regular Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation as a successor to Shri Anil Kumar Sinha, Director, CBI, who has since, superannuated on 30th November, 2016. It was essential to complete the process of selection and appointment of Director, CBI in time for a smooth transition. Unfortunately, this was not done and this delay has raised serious concerns.

The Government failed to convene a meeting which was to be chaired by yourself to finalise the selection of the Director. With the sudden transfer of Special Director, Shri R.K. Dutta, the senior most officer after the Director, as Special Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs, on 30th November 2016, it now appears that this was done deliberately to facilitate giving the charge of the post of CBI Director to an officiating junior officer.

It thus gives rise to apprehensions that the process of selecting the Director, CBI has been vitiated and is being manipulated to preempt the decision to be arrived at in the meeting of the Selection Committee.

The credibility of the premier investigating agency demands that a meritorious and experienced officer of requisite seniority is selected for appointment as Director, CBI without any delay.

I request you to convene the meeting to deliberate on this matter, urgently.

With kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Mallikarjun Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge, MP for Gulbarga, Karnataka, is the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha