No CBI director yet; PM-led panel meeting remains inconclusive

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee meeting to decide on the next CBI chief remained inconclusive, said sources. The selection committee likely to meet next week to finalise the names.

The selection committee, which includes the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Leader of the largest Opposition party in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, met at the PM’s residence at 6.30 pm. The two-hour long meeting remained inconclusive.

According to sources, the logjam was because neither Kharge nor Gogoi were given a list with details of the short-listed candidates.

Earlier in the day, National Herald had reported that despite asking for a list of shortlisted candidates for selection as Director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sufficiently in advance, he was sent a list of all eligible candidates, that is all the IPS officers of 1983, 1984 and 1985 batches.

Kharge had said, “I have not got any list with the names of the shortlisted candidates. The list I have has almost 90 names, their retirement date and their empanelment. It doesn’t have their experience, where they worked or the kind of cases they have handled,” pointed out Kharge.

When the panel had met earlier this month to decide the fate of the then Director, CBI, Alok Verma, who had been reinstated by the Supreme Court after being on forced leave for 77 days, Mr Kharge had complained that the Government had not made the CVC report against Verma available to the panel. He had also insisted that Verma be given an opportunity to present his version to the panel. He was overruled then.

Also read: Kharge denied shortlist for CBI selection by PMO: meeting this evening