The tenure of Praveen Sood as Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation has been extended by another year by the Government of India. A 1986-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, Sood had assumed charge as CBI Director on May 25, 2023, for an initial term of two years.
He had earlier received a one-year extension on May 24, 2025, and has now been granted a further extension, allowing him to continue leading the country’s investigative agency.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee, has approved the extension in tenure of Shri Praveen Sood, IPS as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of one year beyond 24.05.2026,” the notification by the government read.
This came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with LoP Rahul Gandhi and CJI Suryakant to select the next director of the federal probe agency.
Rahul Gandhi calls CBI chief selection process “biased exercise”
The process to appoint the next director of the Central Bureau of Investigation witnessed sharp disagreement on Tuesday after Rahul Gandhi submitted a detailed dissent note during a meeting of the high-powered selection committee chaired by PM Modi.
In his two-page note, Gandhi said he could not support what he described as a “biased exercise” and refused to be part of a process that, according to him, had already been decided in advance. He argued that the role of the Leader of Opposition should not be reduced to simply approving decisions taken by the government.
The committee responsible for selecting the new CBI director includes the Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India or a nominated judge.
Gandhi further stated that the process lacked fairness and transparency.
"By denying the Selection Committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp,” LoP said in a letter addressing the Prime Minister.
"I cannot abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise. I, therefore, dissent in the strongest terms," he added.
ALSO READ: 'LoP not a rubber stamp': Rahul Gandhi dissents on CBI director selection, calls exercise 'biased'
