New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday set a two-week deadline for the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to complete its inquiry against CBI director Alok Verma, who along with special director Rakesh Asthana was divested of duties and sent on leave following their bitter feud, under the supervision of an ex-judge.
The court also barred Mr Verma’s interim successor at the probe agency, M. Nageswar Rao, from taking any major or policy decisions and decided to scrutinise all decisions taken by Mr Rao since he took charge on Tuesday night.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, while hearing a petition filed by Mr Verma challenging the government’s decision to send him on, said, “The ongoing inquiry by the CVC with regard to director must be completed within two weeks under the supervision of a judge of this court. The present incumbent as from this moment will not take any policy decisions, only routine work to keep the CBI going... and in a sealed cover, the CBI or the government will give a list of major decisions taken by this incumbent.”
The court said that the CVC’s inquiry into the allegations made in the August 24 note/letter of the Cabinet secretary, by Mr Asthana, with regard to Mr Verma would be supervised by retired apex court judge A.K. Patnaik.
The bench made it clear that entrustment of supervision of the on-going inquiry by the CVC to a former judge is a one-time exception which has been felt necessary by this court in the peculiar facts of this case and should not be understood to be casting any reflection on any government authority.
Appearing for Mr Verma, senior counsel Fali Nariman submitted that the CBI director’s tenure has been fixed as two years under the amended Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946.
Meanwhile, taking to the streets, the Congress on Friday took out nationwide protest marches to CBI offices accusing the government of trying to 'cage the CBI', as the party president Rahul Gandhi, along with several others, courted arrest and alleged “every institution was being ruined” in the country. While Mr Gandhi led hundreds of Congress workers and leaders on their protest march here, he was also joined by leaders from some other Opposition parties as well, including from the CPI, Trinamul and Loktantrik Janata Dal.
