In an unprecedented move, the Centre on the intervening night of October 23-24 removed Alok Verma as director of the country's premier investigative agency, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The government also took away all responsibilities from his deputy Special Director Rakesh Asthana after the top two officers of the agency have been at each other's throats for quite some time now.
According to government orders, CBI Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao will take over the duties and functions of CBI Director with immediate effect. Rao is a 1986 batch Odisha cadre officer and joined the agency as joint director and was promoted to additional director this year.
Raids at CBI offices have been continuing and the 10th and 11th floors of the CBI building are being searched with Verma and Asthana's offices both being sealed.
The development comes after Verma and Asthana have been at loggerheads and the latter has been booked by CBI in an alleged bribery case.
Asthana is accused of demanding Rs 5 crore from a Hyderabad-based businessman to let him off in the Moin Qureshi case. Verma also accused Asthana of corruption in the Sterling Biotech case.
Asthana, on his part, has accused Verma of corruption and stopping a raid on Lalu Prasad in the IRCTC case and interfering in other probes.
On Tuesday, Asthana requested the Delhi High Court to quash an FIR against him which was lodged by Verma. The court asked the CBI to maintain 'status quo' till Monday in the case. CBI also arrested one of its own officers, DSP Devendra Kumar for 'falsification of records' in the bribery case against Asthana.
