CBI chief Alok Verma resumes charge, reverses orders passed by M Nageswara Rao

NEW DELHI: Hours after he took charge, reinstated CBI Director Alok Verma withdrew all the transfer orders passed on October 24 by M Nageswara Rao, who was the interim CBI chief in his absence.

“The status quo before issuance of the orders (passed by Rao) will be maintained,” Verma ordered on Wednesday evening. Except for the transfers of two Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) –– Anish Prasad and KR Chaurasia –– all other transfers ordered by Rao have been withdrawn with immediate effect.

Significantly, Joint Director AK Sharma –– the deputy of Verma –– has been brought back as Joint Director (JD), Policy. Sharma was transferred to the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) by Rao.


The same has been withdrawn by the reinstated CBI chief. With this order, the old team investigating the alleged corruption case against special Director Rakesh Asthana will resume its probe. And the officers in the new team constituted by Rao (vide his order dated October 24) will return to their previous postings.

Investigating officer AK Bassi, Deputy Superintendent of Police, who was moved out to Port Blair will be brought back to Delhi. Similarly, Manish Kumar Sinha, DIG, who was transferred to Nagpur, will be brought back. SS Gurm, Additional SP, who was moved out to Jabalpur, will resume duties in Delhi. AK Sharma, Bassi and Gurm had petitioned the Supreme Court and High Court levelling serious allegations against Special Director Rakesh Asthana who is currently being probed on charges of corruption in an FIR registered on October 15 before Verma was sent on forced leave.

Also, Sinha had moved the Supreme Court alleging that the National Security Advisor (NSA) had interfered in the probe against Asthana. Sinha, in his petition, had also dragged the names of Union Minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and CVC KV Chowdhury. Tarun Gauba, DIG, and Satish Dagar, who were brought from Chandigarh and EoW Wing respectively to Delhi, will return to their previous postings.

Other transfers ordered by Rao on January 3 and January 4 this year have also been withdrawn with immediate effect by Verma. It may be recalled that after the government, on October 23, ordered Verma and Asthana to go on forced leave, Verma had petitioned the Apex Court challenging the government’s order.