CBI tug of war continues: Now, Nageswara Rao reverses all transfers made by Alok Verma on January 9 and 10

Nageshwar Rao, the interim Director of CBI, today reversed all the orders issued by ex-Director Alok Verma. On 9th January, Alok Verma revoked most of the transfers effected by then Director (in-charge) M Nageshwar Rao after he resumed duties, 77 days after he was sent on forced leave through a government order which was set aside by the Supreme Court.

Alok Verma was on Thursday removed unceremoniously as the CBI director after a high-powered panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi found that he had not been functioning with integrity expected of him.

Verma, whose fixed tenure of two years was to end on January 31, is the first chief in the 55-years of the CBI's history to face such action, officials said.

He has been posted as Director General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards, under the Union Home Ministry.

The panel which comprised Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice A K Sikri, appointed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as his nominee, had met here Thursday evening after which a decision for Verma, a 1979-batch IPS officer, was taken.

Kharge has expressed his dissent to the decision which was taken by a majority of 2:1.

Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, was given the duties and functions of CBI director late night on October 23, 2018 after Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana were divested of all powers by the government following a spat between them.

The next morning, Rao had effected a large number of transfers, including of officials probing a corruption case against Asthana like DSP A K Bassi, DIG M K Sinha and Joint Director A K Sharma, the officials said.

 (With Agency Inputs)