PM-headed panel likely to meet today to appoint new CBI Director

As per information received by sources, 5 names will be proposed in the front of the select committee, all from 1983-85 batch of officers

Image: PTI

New Delhi: CBI selection committee led by Prime Minister Modi is likely to meet on Thursday evening at Prime Minister’s residence. The high-powered selection committee is likely to meet at 6 pm in the evening, to decide upon the name of new CBI director succeeding Alok Verma. Other members of panel include, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. Ouster of Verma has triggered a huge political row and Kharge had demanded that the panel meeting be convened at the earliest to appoint a new director of the probe agency arguing that it cannot be run by an interim director, whose appointment he termed as illegal.  IPS officer M Nageswara Rao was named as the interim director of the CBI following Verma's removal. The post of CBI chief is lying vacant ever since Alok Verma was removed as CBI Director and appointed as Director General Fire Service in the meeting on January 10, in which Kharge gave his dissenting note. Verma was removed within 48 hours of the Supreme Court reinstating him on the post. Kharge had opposed the removal of Verma and instead demanded that he be compensated as the government removed him from the post for 77 days and thus be given an extension. The Congress has been attacking the prime minister for not appointing a regular CBI Director. Kharge had also written to the prime minister demanding early holding of the meeting of the high powered committee to appoint a regular CBI Director. As per information received by sources, 5 names will be proposed in the front of the select committee. So far the names that have emerged as frontrunners for the post are:  Rina Mitra: 1983 IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre. She currently is Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Rajesh Ranjan: IPS Officer of 1984 batch who is currently posted as Director General of CISF Y C Modi: A 1984 batch officer who is the current Director-General/chief of the National Investigation Agency of India. Rajnikanth Misra: A 1984-batch IPS officer who is the director general of the Border Security Force (BSF) Subodh Kumar Jaiswal: A 1985 batch IPS officer who is the chief of Mumbai Police