The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to initiate departmental enquiry against former CBI Director Alok Verma as he refused to comply with its order to join as Director General of Fire Services.
January 31 would have been Mr. Verma’s last day in office had he continued at the post of Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as per the fixed two-year term.
The government had transferred him to the post of DG, Fire Services on January 10. Mr. Verma, in his letter to the Department of Personnel and Training on January 11, requested that he be deemed superannuated. “The undersigned would have already superannuated as on July 31, 2017, and was only serving the government as Director, CBI, till January 31, 2019, as the same was a fixed tenure role. The undersigned is no longer Director, CBI, and has already crossed his superannuation age for DG Dire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards. Accordingly, the undersigned may be deemed as superannuated with effect from today [January 11],” Mr. Verma had said in the letter.
A senior government official said on Thursday that the MHA was bound to take action as he didn’t join the post. “He hasn’t complied with the MHA order, departmental enquiry is when you have broken a rule, which is clearly the case here,” he said.Mr. Verma would be served a notice and the procedure would impact his pension and other retirement benefits, the official said. “He will have to appear for personal hearings,” he said.
The MHA, on January 30, sent a letter to Mr. Verma saying the latter’s request that he be deemed superannuated had been rejected and he should join the office of DG, Fire Services on January 31.
