New Delhi: CBI Additional Director M Nageshwar Rao took over as the Intermi Chief of the nation's premier national investigative agency following the removal of Alok Verma from the post of CBI Director on Thursday. Rao will discharge the duties of CBI chief till a new appointment or until further orders.

Alok Verma was on Thursday removed unceremoniously as the CBI director after a high-powered panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi found that he had not been functioning with integrity expected of him.

He has been posted as Director General Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards, under the Union Home Ministry. The charge of the CBI has been given to Additional Director M Nageshwar Rao, a government order issued on Thursday evening said.

The panel which comprised Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice A K Sikri, appointed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as his nominee, had met here Thursday evening after which a decision for Verma, a 1979-batch IPS officer, was taken. Kharge has expressed his dissent to the decision which was taken by a majority of 2