High level conspiracy to oust CBI Director Alok Verma, says Mallikarjun Kharge, demands an inquiry

It was a conspiracy hatched at the highest levels of the Government to remove the Director, CBI Alok Verma on October 23 last year, alleges the five-page dissent note submitted on Thursday by leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. The five-page note of dissent that he submitted to the high level committee which decided to remove Alok Verma, points out a series of unexplained events and demands an independent probe into the midnight coup.

The note highlights that

1. During the day the Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chowdary, who was leaving on a tour to Denmark, abruptly cancelled his trip. He then proceeded to hold an unscheduled meeting of the CVC at night, after office hours.

2. At 11 pm Joint Director, CBI Nageshwar Rao was instructed to reach the CBI Headquarters and await further orders.

3. At 11.30 pm the Delhi Police Commissioner called his subordinates to Khan Market and alerts them to a midnight operation.

4. Around midnight the DCP received instructions from National Security Advisor AjitDoval to take over the CBI headquarters. The premises are then secured by Delhi Police after some resistance by the CISF posted there.

5. Between 12.30 and 1 am the CVC rushes its recommendation to send Verma on forced leave to the North Block, where Secetary (Personnel) C. Chandramouli was waiting in his office past midnight.

6. The Secretary (Personnel) then rushed to the PMO across the road and obtained the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Appointments headed by the Prime Minister.

7. At 2.30 am the CVC is spotted coming out of the CBI Headquarters along with Additional Secretary (Personnel) Lok Ranjan and Nageshwar Rao with some files.

The allegations against Alok Verma had been forwarded to the CVC by the Cabinet Secretary on August 20, 2018. For more than two months the CVC had been sitting over the allegations. Therefore, the flurry of activity on October 23 was indeed suspicious. What made the Government press the panic buttons? Only an independent inquiry, suggested the dissent note, would unravel the mystery.

Kharge, who was given a copy on Wednesday of the CVC’s report on the allegations against Verma, also points out the frivolous nature of the allegations against Verma.