The Home Ministry has rejected ousted CBI Director Alok Verma’s resignation and directed him to join immediately as DG Fire Services. Verma, who has resigned and retired on Thursday, however, did not budge and did not join.
Sources indicated that Home Ministry is expected to take action since he did not join. Verma’s denial may lead to suspension of his pension benefits, they maintained. It is learned that Verma will challenge Government’s actions, if any.
Within 24 hours of his transfer, on January 11, Verma had resigned, rejecting the Government’s order to join as DG Fire Services. Verma had contended that he had crossed the superannuation age for DG Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards and he wanted to be treated as having superannuated from the day he was moved out of the CBI. He said that he “was only serving the Government as CBI director until January 31, 2019 as it was a fixed tenure role”. The tenure of CBI director is fixed for two years.
As Verma did not take up the new assignment as directed, he is likely to face departmental action which may include suspension of pensionary benefits, MHA officials said. In a letter sent to Verma Wednesday, the MHA said, “You are directed to join the post of DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards immediately”.
This communication was seen as a rejection of his plea in a letter to Secretary, Department of Personnel, earlier this month in which he said he should be deemed to have retired from service on July 31, 2017, the day he completed 60 years.
Verma, a former Delhi Police Commissioner, was first moved out of the CBI by the Government in a midnight order on October 23 last year on the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) but was reinstated by the Supreme Court on January 9. After the Supreme Court order, a high-powered panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a 2:1 decision removed Verma and asked him to join the residual term of the CBI director as DG Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. The Prime Minister and Justice AK Sikri, the nominee of Chief Justice of India, favoured removal of Verma while the third member of the committee — leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge — opposed the move.