Former CBI Director Ranjit Sinha died here on Friday morning reportedly due to Covid-19.
Sinha, 68, was confirmed positive for novel coronavirus infection on Thursday night and succumbed to the disease early on Friday, officials said.
An IPS officer of the 1974-batch (Bihar cadre), Sinha took over as the Director of CBI on December 3, 2012 and retired on December 2, 2014. He was the 26th Director of CBI after its formation in 1963.
Prior to joining as Director, CBI, Sinha was Director General of ITBP. He had earlier held several important positions in CBI including the post of Joint Director and DIG. Sinha served as Superintendent of Police of Madhubani, Saharsa and Railway (Patna). He had also served as DIG, Magadh Range, Gaya. He had served in CRPF as Inspector General (Operations) at Srinagar, IG (Personnel) at Directorate General and ADG in ITBP.
Sinha, a Post Graduate in Science from Patna University, had an M.Phil from IIPA, New Delhi and a Diploma in HR Management from Wollongong University, Australia. He was decorated with the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1991 and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1997.
In-charge Director, CBI, Praveen Sinha, in his condolence message said, “Our heartfelt condolences are with the bereaved family in this hour of intense grief. May his soul rest in peace”.
Incidentally, it was during Sinha’s tenure at the CBI during which the agency earned the sobriquet of “caged parrot” from the Supreme Court.
The scathing remarks by Justice RM Lodha were a result of Sinha’s nine-page affidavit to the Supreme Court giving details of his meetings with the then Law Minister Ashwani Kumar and other senior officers during which changes were made in the coal scam probe report submitted to the apex court.
“Whatever the Supreme Court says is correct,” was his response to the reporters after the controversy.
Towards the fag end of his tenure, another controversy stuck him. A purported visitors’ diary with names of persons under the CBI scanner in coal and 2G scam surfaced in 2014. It showed that these people were allegedly frequenting his residence.
The Supreme Court directed the then CBI chief to recuse himself from the 2G scam probe on PIL alleging that Sinha met the accused at his residence.
The Supreme Court asked former CBI special director ML Sharma to carry out an inquiry into allegations. Taking note of Sharma’s report, the CBI registered an FIR against Sinha which remains under probe.