CBI chief, his deputy sent on leave, M Nageshwar Rao appointed interim CBI director

New Delhi, Oct 24:  In an unprecedented fallout of the recent happenings within the Central Bureau for Investigation, agency chief Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana have been sent on leave and M Nageshwar Rao, a senior Joint Director with the probe agency, has been given the interim charge as CBI director.
According to an order by the Appointments committee of the Cabinet, Mr Verma and his deputy Mr Asthana have been sent on leave.
Mr Rao was appointed interim CBI chief early on Wednesday morning.
‘The appointments committee of the cabinet has approved that during the subsistence of the aforesaid interim measure, Mr M Nageshwar Rao, IPS, will look after duties and functions of director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect,” the order by the committee said.
The order came with recommendation by the country’s top vigilance officer, Chief Vigilance Commissioner KV Chaudhary, that the CBI’s warring top two be sent on compulsory wait, stripped of all responsibilities, a top government functionary said.
This comes after the probe agency had filed case against Mr Asthana, wherein he was accused by the agency of bribery.
Mr Astana has been accused of taking Rs 3 crore as bribe from a businessman.
A credible source in the investigation agency also confirmed that the offices of both Mr Verma and Mr Asthana have been sealed and all officers working with the CBI director are likely to be sent on leave.
“The 10th and 11th floor of the CBI office in Delhi, which has the rooms of all these officers, are being raided”, the sources said.
The opposition has accused the government of trying to protect Rakesh Asthana – a Gujarat cadre officer dubbed the Prime Minister’s “blue-eyed boy” by Congress president Rahul Gandhi. UNI