New Delhi: A top-notch selection committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which met on Thursday evening to appoint a new CBI chief, could not arrive at a decision. It may meet again on Friday but if that does not happen, in all likelihood, it will meet next week.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who is also a member of the high-powered panel along with Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, after the meeting at PM’s residence, said they were presented with a list of 70 to 80 names without any details. Both the Chief Justice and I said we need more information about who served in what capacity, their level of competence etc. Both of us also requested that the next meet be called at the earliest,” Kharge told NDTV.
Sources in the PM’s office were cited as saying that IPS officers from the 1982-1985 batches were in contention for the post. These include 1983 batch officer Shivanand Jha, who is serving as DGP Gujarat, BSF Director General Rajnikant Mishra, CISF Director General Rajesh Ranjan, Director General NIA YC Modi and Mumbai Police Commissioner Subodh Jaiswal.
If the panel goes strictly by seniority, then the government’s pick may be Jha. PM knows him personally and had appointed Jha as Commissioner of Police Ahmedabad. Jha retires in 2021. The buzz is that if the post of DGP Gujarat falls vacant then the Modi government may try to rehabilitate former CBI No. 2 Rakesh Asthana there, said electronic media sources. Director General BSF RK Mishra is also being considered for the top CBI post, said sources, adding he is said to be close to Principal Secretary to PM Nipender Mishra. Mumbai Police Commissioner Subodh Jaiswal is supposedly close to the RSS.
