CBI vs CBI: 'Alok Verma, Rakesh Asthana sent on leave for credibility of agency'

Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana will continue to serve as the Central Bureau of Investigation chief and special director, the CBI said on Thursday.

M Nageshwar Rao, who has been appointed as the interim director of the investigative agency, will look after the duties and functions of the CBI director till the time the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) completes the probe into allegations levelled against Verma and Asthana.

A spokesperson said that whatever the probe agency is doing is to ensure that the credibility of the agency does not suffer.

"We are conscious of the fact that any fall in credibility and image of the agency has the potential to impact the important cases we are fighting internationally. Whatever we are doing is to ensure that the credibility of the agency does not suffer," the CBI spokesperson said.

On Wednesday, Verma and Asthana were divested from their duties as the two hit out at each other over bribery accusations in the meat exporter Moin Qureshi money laundering case.

After the Supreme Court was challenged by Alok Verma, the SC was going to give its judgement over the case on October 26. One day before its verdict Verma and Asthana are reappointed to their former status in the CBI.

After Asthana moved the Delhi High Court seeking to the suppressing of the First Information Report (FIR) filed against him by the CBI, under these circumstances Rao was appointed as the interim director of CBI. The court, however, ordered that no action would be taken against Asthana until next hearing, which is scheduled for October 29.

The CBI had filed an FIR against Asthana for allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was linked to Moin Akhtar Qureshi case. Asthana was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that was probing Qureshi's case.