The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appointed Subodh Kumar Jaiswal as its new director on Tuesday, 25 May.
Jaiswal is a 1985-batch IPS officer from Maharashtra cadre. He has worked with several agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis (R&AW), as well as held the post of Director-General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Jaiswal took charge of the office on 26 May and will serve a fixed tenure of two years as the chief of the CBI, starting from this date.
But who is Jaiswal?
Jaiswal’s Work in Maharashtra
Jaiswal has served for a long time in Maharashtra, including the Anti-Terrorism Squad, the Maharashtra DGP, and the Commissioner of Police. Jaiswal had clashed with former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh over the transfer of police officials and will now, as his newly-earned title of the CBI chief, be probing corruption allegations against Deshmukh.
Jaiswal was in command of the Maharashtra State Intelligence Bureau and liaised with intelligence agencies from the United States in the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
As an Indian Police Service officer of the Maharashtra cadre, Jaiswal headed the Maharashtra State Reserve Police Force where he investigated the Telgi fake stamp paper scam before it was transferred to the CBI. In the anti-terrorism squad, Jaiswal was part of the investigation team on the 2006 Malegaon blast.
Jaiswal went on to become Mumbai Police chief and Maharashtra DGP. Under his supervision, the high-profile Elgar Parishad and Bhima Koregaon cases were probed.
Jaiswal’s Request for Deputation Outside Maharashtra
Jaiswal told the then home minister, Anil Deshmukh, of the intense lobbying done by officers for postings. He had refused to sign on some transfers but eventually gave in.
After this, the State Intelligence Department Chief Rashmi Shukla carried out tapping of phones to expose how brokers with political connections were known to fix transfers. However, the Maharashtra government said in March 2021 that Shukla had misled the government and is now being investigated for having leaked contents of her investigation.
It was during this row that Jaiswal sought central deputation, which was cleared by the state.
This led to him being given the post of the CISF chief, and he moved to Delhi.
When he took charge, he said, "It shall be my endeavour to build upon the core competencies of the members of the force by ensuring constant upgradation of professional skills of its individuals and the unit's as a whole," NDTV quoted.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)