SC restrains cop from working in CBI

 The Supreme Court on Friday restrained woman IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram from functioning as additional director of the CBI till further orders, while questioning the Centre’s bid to “superimpose” her as its choice.

A four-judge bench presided by Chief Justice R M Lodha passed the interim order, noting that there was a very strong prima facie case to intervene since the Central government’s act amounted to nullifying the statutory provisions.

The court directed Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran to produce all the files before it on July 14. It also made CBI Director Ranjit Sinha a party to the case and issued him a notice while saying the Centre was “trying to supersede” another authority set up under the law for such selections.
Ramasundaram, who was appointed as the first woman additional director of the CBI, was suspended by the Jayalalitha-led Tamil Nadu government within hours after her joining the investigating agency for not taking prior permission.

Dealing with a PIL relating to violation of rules on appointment of top brass in the CBI, the court noted that under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act and CVC guidelines, there was a committee that had to send its recommendation to the government for the appointments. “It is for the committee to decide and you have to give effect to it. You cannot substitute for its choices,” the bench told Parasaran, who, on his part, defended the decision contending that the selection committee had recommended only one name instead of a list of names. The committee had not recommended the woman police officer’s name.

“A very strong prima facie case is made out for interim orders once you say her name was not recommended by the committee. This is an indirect way of overriding the committee. It amounts to virtually nullifying the statutory scheme,” the bench said.