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  5. In dissent note, Mallikarjun Kharge opposed Alok Verma’s selection as CBI chief

In dissent note, Mallikarjun Kharge opposed Alok Verma’s selection as CBI chief

Controversy continues to surround the appointment of the head of India’s premier probe body. While the three-member Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – with Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and opposition leader

India TV Politics Desk India TV Politics Desk New Delhi Published on: January 20, 2017 12:05 IST
File pic of Alok Verma
File pic of Alok Verma

Controversy continues to surround the appointment of the head of India’s premier probe body. While the three-member Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi – with Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and opposition leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, part of the panel – cleared the appointment of Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma as the next CBI Director on Thursday, the decision was not unanimous. 

According to a report in The Indian Express, while the PM and the CJI backed Verma’s name, the third member preferred choosing Rupak Kumar Dutta, a former CBI officer for the coveted post. 

In a three-page dissent note, Kharge opposed Verma’s selection, citing lack of experience in the CBI and in anti-corruption units. 

“It is incumbent on this committee that the candidate who outranks other candidates on the parameters of experience in the field of anti-corruption and integrity must be accorded highest preference,” Kharge wrote.

He even citied two judgements to support his argument. The two cases were Vineet Narayan and others versus Union of India case, delivered in 1998 by Justice JS Verma, and Union of India versus C Dinakar IPS case, delivered in 2004 by Justice VN Khare.

Kharge also noted that the criteria for choosing a person for the top job in the investigative agency must not be compromised. 

“As per service record provided to the committee, selection of Shri Verma. who has ‘ NIL’ experience in the CBI and in the field of anti-corruption, is a major departure and dilution to the above mentioned criteria which was followed by the successive governments for the post of director, CBI,” it reads. 

Thus, he argued, Dutta ‘is the most suitable candidate for the post of Director, CBI’. 

Dutta has a total of 208 months of experience in the CBI and 43 months of experience as ADGP in the Karnataka Lokayukta under Justice Santosh Hegde (retired), Kharge mentioned.

Charging the committee of overlooking the fact, he said, “To protect the institutional independence of the CBI, the committee should select the most competent candidate according to the existing procedures of law.”

“It is abundantly clear that the Committee has overlooked a more qualified, experienced and competent candidate and also seniority, integrity and experience in the field of anti-corruption envisaged in the Act, which goes against the spirit and objective of this committee,” he added.

Along with Verma and Dutta, Maharashtra DGP Satish Mathur was the third candidate who was considered for the role.

The selection of Verma comes in the wake of a controversy over the appointment of Gujarat officer RK Asthana as the acting chief of the agency in December last year, which was challenged in court by lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan.

Verma, a 1979 batch IPS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory) cadre, is known to maintain a low profile. He had replaced BS Bassi as the Delhi Police Chief in February last year. Prior to this, he had served as the Director General of the capital high-security Tihar Jail.

 

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