CBI's fresh guidelines for probe against Joint Secretary or above officers

According to the circular issued by CBI, any inquiry against a joint secretary or above officer in the government will have to be approved by a competent authority which would be either an Additional Director, a Special Director or the Director of CBI.

It said that in case of a complaint in any CBI office against a Union Minister, the same shall be forwarded to the Home Ministry promptly for further action and the relevant file should remain in the personal custody of head of the branch.

No complaint against any such officer will be handed over to a CBI officer below the rank of a Superintendent of Police, the guidelines said.

The Superintendent of Police should ensure that the departmental records are examined discreetly so that secrecy of the verification is maintained, it said and advised to consult the records informally by contacting the concerned Vigilance Officers or the Head of the Department.