SC to hear plea against Rakesh Asthana's appointment as CBI Special Director

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea challenging appointment of Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as a Special Director in the CBI.

The Apex court will take up the matter for hearing on November 13.

Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO Common Cause, sought an urgent hearing citing it before a bench comprising Justices J Chelameswar and S Abdul Nazeer.

Bhushan told the bench, “The matter is about a gentleman’s appointment as a Special Director of CBI. We are challenging it. Kindly list the matter urgently on Friday or Monday.”

The petition termed the decision to appoint Asthana as “illegal” and “arbitrary”.

Supreme Court decides to hear on 13th November a plea seeking quashing of the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as a special director of CBI

— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2017

The plea has claimed that the CBI was probing a matter in which Asthana’s name had cropped up.

Demanding quashing of Asthana’s appointment, the plea has also sought a direction to the Centre to transfer him out of the agency during the pendency of the investigation.

The petition has claimed that the government and the selection committee overruled the opinion of the CBI Director in violation of the law.

It also said that the Special Director was the second highest office in the CBI after the Director and supervised almost all important cases being handled by the agency. (With PTI Inputs)