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In a game changing verdict ahead of 2019, the supreme court has delivered its verdict on the CBI vs CBI row. In a ruling that is bound to have huge political implications , the Supreme Court has reinstated Alok Verma as CBI Director.
Coming down heavily on the government, Supreme Court said that the government should have referred to the Select Committee consisting of the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister and Leader of Opposition to initiate Verma’s removal.
Hence the reinstatement is big blow to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government which was euphoric over the Rafael deal verdict form the Supreme Court.
Meanwhile , the select committee has been requested to meet within a week in order to decide on whether any action must or needs to be taken against Alok Verma.
This committee is the same committee that has the powers to appoint a CBI director. The committee comprises of the Prime Minister of India, the Chief Justice of India, and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had on December 6 reserved its judgment after hearing arguments on behalf of Verma, the Centre and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
In a midnight order issued on October 23, Verma was asked to go on leave, prompting him to rush to the top court challenging the administrative orders. Verma’s two-year tenure as CBI director ends on January 31.
Verma had moved the SC against the Centre’s decision to divest him of powers and sending him on leave.
Verma had sought the quashing of three orders of October 23, 2018 — one by the Central Vigilance Commission and two by the Department of Personnel and Training — as being without jurisdiction and in violation of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.
The Congress had last year alleged that the Chief Vigilance Commission and the government were hand in glove in divesting CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers and termed it as a “sinister conspiracy to put a lid on the investigation” into Rafale deal. The opposition party questioned why CVC Commissioner K V Chowdary had “abruptly cancelled” his scheduled foreign tour to hold an urgent meet at night on October 23 on the matter and issued an “illegal” order against Verma.
AICC media in-charge Randeep Surjewala claimed there were layers of drama in the late night that day wherein “a fraud was played on the Constitution by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with CVC, which was now out in the open”.
