A public interest litigation (PIL) on Thursday, 2 November, challenged the appointment of Indian Police Service officer Rakesh Asthana as the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Special Director, reported TV news channel CNN News-18 on it’s official Twitter handle.
The pleas in the Supreme Court by NGO Common Cause, against Asthana’s promotion, levelled charges of corruption against him.
The petitioner, in its PIL, has contended that Asthana’s appointment as Special Director was illegal, arbitrary, mala fide and in violation of the principle of “impeccable integrity” and “institutional integrity” as laid down by the top court.
Common Cause said that Asthana's name allegedly figures in 'Diary 2011', which was recovered during raids by the Income Tax Department on 28 June 2011, on the premises of the Gujarat-based Sterling Biotech and Sandesara Group of Companies.
The petitioner has also sought the production of note and material placed before the selection committee by CBI Director Alok Verma, who had opposed promotion of Asthana as Special Director, and submitted a two page note to the selection committee objecting to the proposal.
Senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan on behalf of Common Cause, had moved the Supreme Court in December 2016, for the quashing of Asthana’s appointment as interim Director, CBI after Anil Sinha demitted office on his superannuation.
On 22 October, the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet promoted Asthana, an IPS Officer of the Gujarat cadre, to the position of Special Director CBI – second-in-command of the CBI – despite the Central Vigilance Commissioner’s (CVC) dissent, reported The Quint.
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(With inputs from IANS)
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