Kharge objects to Rishi Kumar Shukla's appointment as CBI chief, BJP reacts

Mallikarjun Kharge.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his dissent on the appointment of new CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla, alleging that the officer did not have experience in handling anti-corruption cases and the criterion for selection was diluted in violation of law and Supreme Court judgements. Kharge sent a two-page dissent note to the prime minister this evening after the government announced the name of the 1983 batch officer and former Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police as the new CBI Director. Shukla was removed as DGP of Madhya Pradesh only three days ago by the new Congress government in the state. Kharge in his note said the three-member committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in which he is a member along with Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, has violated the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (DSPE) that governs the CBI and the Supreme Court judgements. Kharge said the criterion in selecting the CBI Director has been diluted to include investigation experience only and not experience in investigating anti-corruption cases. "By including officers who do not have experience in investigating anti-corruption cases, committee is in violation of DSPE Act and Supreme Court judgements guiding CBI Director's appointment," he said. "Seniority cannot be only criterion in appointment to such a critical post and experience in anti-corruption cases and prior experience of having served in the organisation should also be considered," said the Congress leader in his dissent note. Kharge wanted to manipulate CBI chief selection criteria: Union Minister Jitendra Singh Mallikarjun Kharge tried to "manipulate" the criteria for selection of CBI chief with the ulterior motive of accommodating some of his preferred officers, Union Minister Jitendra Singh claimed Saturday. He also hit out at Kharge for "giving his own version" of the panel's deliberations to the media. "Kharge tried to manipulate the objective criteria, based on independent and impartial assessment, to select CBI Director...He wanted to include some officers of his preference in the short-list of candidates," Singh, the Union Minister of State for Personnel, told PTI. Singh said that Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi fully endorsed the objective criteria applied for selecting the head of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The high-powered selection panel comprises Prime Minister Modi, CJI Gogoi and Congress MP Kharge, who is the leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.