The controversy surrounding the unceremonious removal of Alok Verma as CBI Director by the Prime Minister-led panel refuses to die down. Justice AK Sikri, who backed Modi for removing Verma, on Sunday evening declined a plum post-retirement London posting even as the Congress sought “immediate removal” of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), KV Chowdary, alleging the Centre had made him act like a “puppet” to “escape a probe” into the Rafale deal.
After The Print portal reported that the Government has suggested to post Justice Sikri as member of London-based Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT) after his retirement in March 6, 2019, social media was flooded with scandalous comments questioning the credibility of Justice Sikri for supporting Prime Minister for removing Verma as the CBI Director within 24 hours of being reinstated by the Supreme Court.
Retired Justice AK Patnaik’s revelations that the no corruption charges were found against Verma was also being flagged in the social media.
Justice Sikri’s plum London tribunal posting was for five years and as per the rules of tribunal, the judges were allowed extension of another five years.
India is a member of this Tribunal and Sikri will be expected to be the president of this Tribunal by rotation of the posts among the member countries in the Commonwealth.
In the evening, stung by the criticism, Justice Sikri, who enjoys a high reputation as an uncompromising judge, wrote to the Law Ministry that he is declining this post-retirement job in London.
Meanwhile, attacking the CVC, the Congress demanded his immediate sacking.
“We seek the removal, the departure, the exit of the collaborator for violating the Constitution — the CVC (Chief Vigilance Commissioner). He must go. It is irrelevant whether he resigns or is sacked, but he must go,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at AICC Press conference.
The Congress alleged that CVC KV Chowdary is being made to “act like a puppet” to avoid any probe into the Rafale case. “Till now, we have been told that only the CBI was the ‘caged parrot’ but we are now seeing a new ‘vigilant’ slave of the Government, a collaborator for violating the constitution of the Central Vigilance Commission,” the Congress spokesperson alleged, taking a swipe at the Modi Government.
“The CVC has been acting like an ambassador for Asthana (CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana), lobbying for Asthana, and acting as an agent and messenger for the Government, to do their hatchet jobs,” Singhvi alleged.
The vigilance commissioner has forgotten that he is supposed to do vigilance for public interest, and not be a “vigilant puppet in the hands of political masters”, he said. The senior Congress leader said he was putting forth the views of his party, based on “objectives facts” that has emerged in the press in connection with the CBI controversy.
These facts are in the public domain and “viable”, he said, claiming these “can’t be denied nor have been denied”. “The data and facts in writing demand an immediate action and that action must start with the removal and sacking of the CVC. The sequence of events indicates that the CVC acted like a hatchet man of the Government,” Singhvi alleged.
Now, the question arises as to why the commissioner acted like this and “at whose behest” he was doing it, he asked.
“The answer is self-evident, and none except the top two people in this country, who rule this country dictatorially, can claim the power to treat and make the CVC act like a puppet. These master puppeteers can be doing this to hide something, to hide something like Rafale,” Singhvi alleged.
The Government has repeatedly denied all charges levelled by the Congress in connection with the Rafale deal. “Only Rafale (issue) can make them try to make the CVC act like a puppet,” he alleged.
Singhvi on Saturday had alleged that the Government stood exposed after Justice (retired) AK Patnaik claimed that he had not seen the commission’s recommendations against Verma and not accorded his assent.
He said the selection committee removed Verma based on Asthana’s charges, whose plea to quash the FIR against him was dismissed by the Delhi High Court.
He said if the PM or his Government has even an “iota of shame” left, then the CVC should be sacked, removed or tender his resignation.