JOIN USA high-level panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here on Monday to choose the next CBI Director but no official announcement was made on its choice till late evening
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Official sources said the three-member panel, which also had Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India J S Khehar as its members, considered the names of IPS officers from 1979 to 1982 batches to choose the new CBI chief.
The front runners for the post included Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma and SSB Director General Archana Ramasundaram among others. If Ramasundaram is chosen, she would become the first woman chief of the investigation agency.
The post fell vacant on December two after incumbent Anil Sinha retired but the government did not appoint a full time Director. Senior IPS officer and CBI Additional Director Asthana was given additional charge but this decision ran into controversy after an NGO Common Cause approached Supreme Court against the decision.
The transfer of senior officer R K Dutta, who was supervising the 2G allocation and coal scam cases, to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as Special Secretary (Internal Security) two days ahead of Sinha’s retirement also had triggered a row.
The choice of Asthana and transfer of Dutta prompted Kharge to accuse the government of trying to manipulate the selection process and shot off letters to Modi on the issue.