The high-powered Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet on January 24 to appoint the new CBI Director. The two other members of the Committee are Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.
As the race for the top post at CBI begins, BSF DG Rajnikant Mishra is learnt to have met NSA Ajit Doval earlier this week even as NIA DG YC Modi and Gujarat DGP Shivanand Jha are also in the reckoning. Presently, the CBI is headed by an interim Director M Nageswara Rao following ouster of the incumbent Alok Verma following an adverse report against him by the Central Vigilance Commission.
While Mishra is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Modi is Assam-Meghalaya cadre of 1984. Both have served significant terms in the CBI. Jha is a 1983 batch Gujarat cadre officer now heading the State police. 1983-batch IPS officer OP Singh, serving as DGP of Uttar Pradesh and Special Secretary Internal Security Rina Mitra of Mafhya Pradesh cadre (1983-batch may also be considered for the appointment of the top post in the CBI.
Sources said the Government had proposed the meeting for selection of the new CBI chief on January 21 earlier but Kharge wanted the meeting on January 24 or 25.
After mutual consultations between the stakeholders, the Government has finalised January 24 as the date for the meeting to select the new CBI Director.
On October 10, the panel had removed Verma and transferred him as Director General Fire Service.
CJI’s nominee Justice AK Sikri had during the panel meeting on January 10 insisted that the panel should finalise a new CBI Director within two weeks, sources said.
The panel had named Rao as the interim director of the CBI, a move criticised by the Congress for not appointing a regular CBI Director.
Kharge had also written to the PM demanding early meeting of the high powered committee to appoint a regular CBI Director.
Meanwhile, Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on a petition challenging the appointment of additional director of the CBI M Nageshwara Rao as the interim chief of the premier investigating agency following ouster of Alok Verma.