CBI, the latest institution on the government’s slaughter block 

The midnight drama concerning the removal of former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma and replacing him with M Nageswara Rao as the interim chief is as brazen and as blatant an attempt by the powers-that-be from being exposed as can be imagined. There is no doubt that Alok Verma’s query about the Rafale deal papers sealed his fate. The transfer of the officer, who was probing the alleged misdeeds of corruption-accused special director Rakesh Asthana, to farflung Port Blair also reeks of vengeance.

It seems the politics of hate, so long practised by the BJP, has entered the realms of policy-making and executive decisions too. In a hurry to save its face, the Narendra Modi government has thrown the rules of appointment and removal of the chief of the CBI, India’s premier investigating agency, out of the window. The CBI director is appointed by a High- Powered Committee comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India, as per Section 4A of the DPSE Act. For transfer of the CBI Director, previous consent of the Committee is needed, as per Section 4B(2). It is bypassing this Committee that the impugned orders have been passed by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Government.

Not just that, with the intention of insulating the independence of the CBI from political executive, the director’s tenure has been fixed as two years, as per Section 4A of the DPSE. Verma was appointed in January 2017, and his removal in the present fashion violates Section 4A of the Act. The impugned orders run counter to the dictum of the Supreme Court in Vineet Narain, 2G and Coal Block cases, that the CBI should be insulated from governmental interference.

The explosive admission by the CBI in court that Rakesh Asthana was allegedly running an extortion racket in the garb of investigations, right from its headquarters, has sent shockwaves across the country. Indians have seen the integrity of its vaunted institutions repeatedly being questioned over the last four-and-a-half years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule.

Be it the judiciary, be it the Election Commission of India, be it the Reserve Bank of India, none has been spared. It’s ironic that the government which came to power on the basis of a so-called anti corruption movement, has steeped the CBI, which is known for its impartiality in probing high-profile cases, including those of alleged corruption by top leaders and officials, in a severe credibility crisis. The government has also undermined the credibility of the CVC. The damage done to institutions built over long periods of time, by a government that is willing to go to any length to protect its skin, will be difficult to heal.