Who is Praveen Sood, the Karnataka DGP Now Appointed CBI Director?

Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood has been appointed as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Karnataka's DGP Praveen Sood was appointed as the new director of CBI after his name was finalised by the three-membered committee comprising PM Modi, CJI Chandrachud, and Leader of Opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary on Saturday, 13 May. 

(Photo: IANS)

Karnataka DGP (Director General of Police) Praveen Sood has been appointed as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), an order from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions stated on Sunday, 14 May.

Sood's name was finalised on Saturday, 13 May by a three-member panel consisting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and the Leader of the Opposition (Congress) in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

A 1986-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre, Sood, is originally from Himachal Pradesh and an alumnus of IIT-Delhi, has been serving as the State DGP for the past three years. 

Sood will hold the position for two years till May 2025.

Earlier in March, DK Shivkumar, a senior Congress leader, criticised Sood, accusing him of being both incompetent and a puppet of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka.

Media reports have said that the current appointment was opposed by Chowdhary, Leader of the Opposition (Congress) in Lok Sabha.

He submitted a detailed dissenting note against Sood's appointment, as he was not among the initial shortlisted officers for the top CBI position.

According to reports, Sood's name was added at the last minute, and the names of the shortlisted officers were shared with the panel members in advance of the meeting.

Another senior IPS officer who was being considered for the role was Sudhir Saxena, the DGP of Madhya Pradesh

Who is Praveen Sood, The New CBI Director?

Praveen Sood is a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who joined the force in 1986 and was first appointed as Asstt. Superintendent of Police, Mysore in 1989.

He was then posted as the Superintendent of Police in Bellary and Raichur, and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order in Bangalore. Sood also served as Police Advisor to the Government of Mauritius for three years. In 2011, he was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

He was instrumental in the launch of the "Namma 100" emergency response system, which received an average of 6,000 calls a day with an average response time of 17 minutes within three months of its launch. Currently, he serves as the Director General and Inspector General of Police, Karnataka.