The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on Friday lawyer Prashant Bhushan’s PIl on “manipulations and delays” in CBI Director’s posting even as Mallikarjun Kharge, Selection Panel Member and leader of the Congress in lok Sabha, wrote a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter.
The petition, filed by Common Cause, Bhushan lead NGO, alleged that the Centre took a series of steps in a “completely mala fide, arbitrary and illegal manner to ensure that Rakesh Asthana was given the charge of CBI director”. Asthana, an IPS officer of 1984-batch, was elevated as the Additional Director in the agency on December 2 when CBI Special Director RK Dutta, who was reportedly among the frontrunners for the top post, was shifted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as a Special Secretary.
The PIl claimed that the Government had “prematurely curtailed” the tenure and transferred Dutta to MHA on November 30 — just two days before Sinha was slated to demit office.
In the letter, Kharge alleged that purposefully delays were created for the convening of Selection panel to choose the full time chief of CBI and this "manipulation" was done to post "friendly officer" Asthana as interim chief of the agency. Kharge and Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India are the members of the panel. Kharge said appointing Gujarat cadre officer Asthana is nothing but derailing the established process.
As Chief Justice is part of the Selection panel, the case is expected to be heard by another bench which would be known by Thursday evening.