Who Will be the Next CBI Chief? Four Names Doing the Rounds
The meet of the high-level selection committee, headed by PM Modi on 24 January to remained inconclusive.
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As the meeting of the High-Powered Selection Committe, led by PM Modi, to choose the new CBI chief remained inconclusive on Thursday, 24 January, speculation is rife over the candidates being considered for the top post.
The Centre has shortlisted four officers for the post of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director, sources told The Quint.
Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Rina Mitra, Director General of Border Security Force RK Mishra, Director General of National Investigation Agency YC Modi and Director General of Central Industrial Security Force Rajesh Ranjan are being considered for the top post. All the four officers have prior experience in working with the CBI.
A high-level selection committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will meet on 24 January to choose a new CBI director to replace former chief Alok Verma.
Who Are The Four Officers?
Yogesh Chandra Modi
NIA Director General YC Modi, a 1984-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is a favourite in the race to CBI’s top post, according to PTI. He has over 33 years service in the IPS and was appointed the DG of NIA in 2017.
YC Modi was part of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team, which had investigated the 2002 riots in Gujarat from 2010 to 2012, and had given a clean chit to then chief minister Narendra Modi.
He was also part of the CBI team that had probed the murder of former Gujarat Minister Haren Pandya. However, the Gujarat High Court had rejected the evidence and acquitted the 12 accused, reports said.
RK Mishra
Rajni Kant Mishra, a 1984 batch IPS officer, has served in various positions in Uttar Pradesh.
Mishra joined CBI in 2002 and worked in the agency as deputy inspector general (DIG) and inspector general (IG) till 2009, reported IANS.
He was transferred to the Border Security Force (BSF) in June 2013. Mishra was IG and later, the additional director general (ADG) at Frontier Headquarters, Tripura and South Bengal.
He was appointed the director general of BSF in 2018, and will retire in August 2019.
Rina Mitra
Rina Mitra, an 1983 batch IPS officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, has previously served in the CBI for five years. She had a long tenure in the MP state vigilance department, where she handled corruption cases, reported PTI.
She was appointed the special secretary (internal security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in 2017.
If chosen, Mitra would be the first woman to be appointed the chief CBI.
Rajesh Ranjan
Director General of CISF Rajesh Ranjan, a 1984 batch Bihar cadre officer, has served in the CBI for nearly five years. He was also in the Interpol.
Ranjan was never inducted into the CBI after 2011 as there were “vigilance issues,” PTI quoted officials as saying.
Selection Committee To Take a Call on 24 Jan
The meeting comes after Alok Verma was removed from the post after a 2-1 decision by the high-level panel earlier in January. The decision was taken on the basis of a CVC report that cited alleged corruption and other charges.
In a letter to PM Modi, Kharge said the appointment of M Nageshwar Rao as the interim CBI chief was illegal and sought an immediate meeting of the selection committee, news agency IANS reported.
Verma, who was made the Director General, Fire Service, Homeguard and Civil Services in a 10 January order, had refused to take up the position and quit the service.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS)
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