NGO moves Supreme Court seeking Rakesh Asthana’s sacking

New Delhi: Non-governmental organisation Common Cause moved the Supreme Court on Thursday challenging the government’s directive to send Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma on leave and seeking sacking of special director Rakesh Asthana in view of serious charges of corruption levelled against him.

The petition, filed by lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who mentioned the plea urgently before a three-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, also sought setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the recent developments in the CBI and allegations of corruption against senior officials in the bureau. Bhushan requested the court to hear his plea along with CBI director Verma’s petition challenging the government’s order asking him to proceed on leave amid an acrimonious standoff with Asthana. The three-judge bench, including justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph, will hear the plea on Friday.


In his plea Bhushan alleged that the government’s move to force Verma to go on leave and install M Nageswara Rao as interim director was mala fide.