SC dismisses plea against Asthana’s appointment as CBI special director

The Centre opposed the petition, saying Mr. Asthana had had an outstanding career and supervised over 40 high profile cases

Rakesh Asthana

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition challenging the appointment of senior Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as a special director of the CBI.

A Bench of Justices R.K. Agrawal and A.M. Sapre said, “the writ petition is dismissed.” On November 24, the court reserved its order on the matter.

The Centre opposed the plea, saying Mr. Asthana had had an outstanding career and supervised over 40 high profile cases, including the coal and AgustaWestland scams, black money and money laundering.

The petitioner, Common Cause, an NGO,

opposed Asthana’s appointment , saying it was illegal as his name had surfaced in a diary recovered during a raid conducted by the Income Tax Department at the offices and other premises of Sterling Biotech Ltd.

The Centre, however, claimed that mR. Asthana, who was an additional director in the CBI, was looking after its 11 zones.