The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear the plea filed by CBI Director Alok Verma challenging the government’s order divesting him from his duties and sending him on leave in view of graft allegations against him.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear the plea filed by CBI Director Alok Verma challenging the government’s order divesting him from his duties and sending him on leave in view of graft allegations against him. Verma and his deputy, CBI special director Rakesh Asthana, were sent on leave by the Centre after a feud between the two spilled into the open, with both levelling serious accusations of corruption against each other.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph will oversee the hearings in the matter.
In last week’s hearing, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had said the central government had the authority to appoint the CBI chief. He was replying to senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who said that the power to remove CBI chief rested with a selection committee comprising of the Prime Minister as the chairperson, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition.
Verma said the government’s October 23 decision to divest him of responsibilities amounted to a transfer. Verma’s lawyer Fali S Nariman told the bench that there was no basis for the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to pass an order recommending to send him on leave.
Nariman also said that the CVC Act made it clear that the Director cannot be transferred without the approval of the committee.
The bench, meanwhile, made it clear it was not going into allegations and counter-allegations at this stage and would only look into the question of law on whether the government had the power to initiate action.
A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph will oversee the hearings in the matter.
In last week’s hearing, Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, had said the central government had the authority to appoint the CBI chief. He was replying to senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, appearing for Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, who said that the power to remove CBI chief rested with a selection committee comprising of the Prime Minister as the chairperson, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition.
Verma said the government’s October 23 decision to divest him of responsibilities amounted to a transfer. Verma’s lawyer Fali S Nariman told the bench that there was no basis for the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to pass an order recommending to send him on leave.
Nariman also said that the CVC Act made it clear that the Director cannot be transferred without the approval of the committee.
The bench, meanwhile, made it clear it was not going into allegations and counter-allegations at this stage and would only look into the question of law on whether the government had the power to initiate action.