<p>A CBI officer, deputy superintendent of police Ashwini Kumar Gupta on Saturday approached the Supreme Court challenging an order issued on October 24 to repatriate him to parent organisation, Intelligence Bureau. He, along with other officers, were transferred, a day after CBI director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave.</p>.<p>He claimed he was singled out for investigating the alleged role of Asthana in Sterling Biotech case in which Income Tax raids were conducted at Sandesara Estate, Vadodara, and a diary recovered purportedly showing 23 transactions between January 1, 2011 to June 28, 2011, and payment of Rs 3.94 crore to Asthana, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer.</p>.<p>Gupta contended he was assisting CBI officer A K Bassi, also transferred to Port Blair. Bassi had already filed a similar plea against his transfer after new interim CBI director M Nageshwara Rao was appointed on October 23.</p>.<p>Asthana had lodged a complaint with Cabinet Secretary on October 18 that both the officers were conducting a roving inquiry into marriage of his daughter that took place in Vadodara on November 25, 2016.</p>.<p>In an application, he urged the court to quash his transfer order as it was made in a “motivated and malafide” manner, “solely with an aim to “victimise” the officers honestly and diligently performing their duties.</p>.<p>Gupta has joined the CBI as an inspector on deputation in 2014 but was subsequently promoted as DSP and granted an extension.</p>.<p>After open bickering between CBI chief and Asthana, both were divested of charge and sent on leave on October 23. As Verma challenged the order, the top court allowed the Central Vigilance Commission to conduct its inquiry against him on a note sent by Cabinet Secretary under the supervision of former SC judge, Justice A K Patnaik. The top court on Friday found that Verma has not been cleared of all charges. It had asked him to respond to the inquiry report by Monday.</p>
<p>A CBI officer, deputy superintendent of police Ashwini Kumar Gupta on Saturday approached the Supreme Court challenging an order issued on October 24 to repatriate him to parent organisation, Intelligence Bureau. He, along with other officers, were transferred, a day after CBI director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave.</p>.<p>He claimed he was singled out for investigating the alleged role of Asthana in Sterling Biotech case in which Income Tax raids were conducted at Sandesara Estate, Vadodara, and a diary recovered purportedly showing 23 transactions between January 1, 2011 to June 28, 2011, and payment of Rs 3.94 crore to Asthana, a Gujarat cadre IPS officer.</p>.<p>Gupta contended he was assisting CBI officer A K Bassi, also transferred to Port Blair. Bassi had already filed a similar plea against his transfer after new interim CBI director M Nageshwara Rao was appointed on October 23.</p>.<p>Asthana had lodged a complaint with Cabinet Secretary on October 18 that both the officers were conducting a roving inquiry into marriage of his daughter that took place in Vadodara on November 25, 2016.</p>.<p>In an application, he urged the court to quash his transfer order as it was made in a “motivated and malafide” manner, “solely with an aim to “victimise” the officers honestly and diligently performing their duties.</p>.<p>Gupta has joined the CBI as an inspector on deputation in 2014 but was subsequently promoted as DSP and granted an extension.</p>.<p>After open bickering between CBI chief and Asthana, both were divested of charge and sent on leave on October 23. As Verma challenged the order, the top court allowed the Central Vigilance Commission to conduct its inquiry against him on a note sent by Cabinet Secretary under the supervision of former SC judge, Justice A K Patnaik. The top court on Friday found that Verma has not been cleared of all charges. It had asked him to respond to the inquiry report by Monday.</p>