CBI Interim Director Nageshwar Rao rescinds Alok Verma’s decisions, transfers

Mr. Verma, after being reinstated by Supreme Court on January 8 as CBI Director, reversed the transfers done by Mr. Rao.

M. Nageshwar Rao

Interim Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director M. Nageswara Rao on Friday reversed all the decisions taken by former agency chief Alok Kumar Verma in the past two days, after the Supreme Court had restored his position.

Declaring all the directions issued under Mr. Verma non est , the new order said: “All actions in pursuance thereof by all concerned are also hereby declared as null and void. In other words, status quo ante as on January 8, 2019, stands restored”.

Jt. Directors shunted

On Friday, another order was issued transferring six Joint Director level officials — Gajendra Kumar Goswami, Sharad Agarwal, A. Sai Manohar, Vineet Vinayak, Praveen Sinha and Amrit Mohan Prasad.

“Notwithstanding the above orders, all those officers who have been specially directed by their names to supervise, investigate or enquire into any case or matter by any Constitutional Court, shall continue to do so,” said the order.

The CBI’s chief spokesperson, Abhishek Dayal, who had joined the agency in July 2017, was also transferred out along with nine other officials of the Deputy Director and Assistant Director level in various States.

Mr. Dayal has been replaced by Nitin D. Wakankar, Additional Director-General of the Press Information Bureau.

Immediately after resuming office on Wednesday, following a Supreme Court directive, Mr. Verma had started rescinding most of the transfer and postings made under the supervision of Mr. Rao, who earlier held the additional charge for 77 days as the former had been divested of his powers.

After taking over the charge in the intervening night of October 23 and 24 last year, Mr. Rao had cleared transfer orders including those of the officials who were probing an alleged corruption and extortion case against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana and others.

Among the officials moved out were Deputy Superintendent of Police A. K. Bassi, Deputy Inspector-General M.K. Sinha and Joint Director A.K. Sharma.

Mr. Rao had approved the transfer of two more officials of the Joint Director rank on January 3. After Mr. Verma rejoined, he issued two orders withdrawing the transfers done under Mr. Rao. The next day, he approved five more transfer and postings.