CBI Row: DSP AK Bassi moves Supreme Court challenging his transfer to Port Blair

The CBI drama has refused to die down as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) AK Bassi on Monday moved the Supreme Court challenging his transfer to Port Blair, issued by the interim chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation Agency Nageswara Rao on January 11. In his plea, Bassi claimed that the order was vitiated by mala fide and would prejudice the probe against former special director Rakesh Asthana. The DSP also alleged that it was violative of the directions issued by the top court in its judgment on the plea of the former CBI director Alok Kumar Verma.

"It is passed by an officer/authority not competent to pass such orders. The impugned order intends to victimize the Petitioner herein. The impugned order seeks to unfairly prejudice the investigation against Rakesh Asthana, in FIR RC 13(A)/ 2018/AC-III dated October 15, 2018," said Bassi.

Apart from Bassi, DSP Ashwani Gupta was another CBI officer whose transfer was effected on January 11. The development came after former CBI Director Alok Verma was unceremoniously sacked by a high-powered three-member committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 10. Justice AK Sikri and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were the other members of the committee. Kharge, however, voted against Verma's transfer.

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Verma, a 1979-batch AGMUT-cadre IPS officer, was removed from the high-profile post on the charges of corruption and dereliction of duty. He is the first chief in the 55 years of the CBI's history to face such a vicious action.

Furthermore, Verma was posted as Director General, Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards, of which he refused to take charge and quit his service. His two-year-long tenure was scheduled to end on January 31. Interestingly, both Bassi and Gupta were part of Verma's investigating team in corruption cases that plague the premier probe agency in the country.

In a statement, Verma further said, "natural justice was scuttled and the entire process was turned upside down in ensuring that the undersigned is removed from the post of the Director." Following his resignation, all previous transfer orders were reversed by Rao on January 18.

HIGHLIGHTS

• CBI DSP AK Bassi was transferred to Port Blair.
• The order was issued by interim CBI chief Nageswara Rao.
• Bassi was part of Verma's investigating team in CBI corruption cases.