CBI vs CBI: Kharge demands inquiry and term of Verma extended, Govt keen to see Verma out

The high powered committee that met at the Prime Minister’s residence late on Wednesday evening is expected to meet again on Thursday to decide the fate of CBI Director Alok Verma, who assumed charge on Wednesday after a 77-day exile.

The Supreme Court, while restoring Verma to his post and striking down the Government’s action to send him and CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana on forced leave on October 23 as illegal, had asked the high powered selection committee to decide on the charges against Verma levelled by Asthana, believed to be close to the political establishment.

The Government appeared to be in a tearing hurry to convene the meeting although the Supreme Court had allowed a week’s time to do so. In the process it rejected Leader of the largest party in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s plea to postpone the meeting till Friday.

It raised suspicion that the Government was either looking to appoint a new CBI Director or take some disciplinary action against Verma. But on Wednesday it refused to spell out the agenda of the meeting to Mr. Kharge, who at point made it known that he would not attend the meeting without knowing the agenda.

When it became clear that the Government would still go ahead with the meeting and try and garner support of the third member of the committee, Mr. Justice Sikri deputising for the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, the Congress leader decided to attend the meeting called for 8 pm on Wednesday.

Mr Kharge is learnt to have demanded

• A copy of the CVC report on charges against Alok Verma

• An opportunity to Verma to respond to the charges before the committee

• The 77 days of his term that Verma was forced to sit out at home be compensated and his term, coming to an end later in January, extended

• An inquiry be ordered on the midnight coup on October 23 when Verma was replaced by an interim director

The meeting, which continued for an hour, remained inconclusive. Indications are that the committee will meet again at 4 pm on Thursday.

In the meanwhile, the CBI Director reversed many of the transfers of investigating officers ordered by the interim Director Nageshwar Rao between October last year and January.