by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
All is not well in the CBI
Nageshwar Rao falls from grace, Dumped as DG, Home Guards,
Post down-graded, shunted out of CBI,
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, July 6
All is not well in the country's premier investigation agency, the CBI. The manner in which BJP's blue-eyed boy and additional director M Nageshwar Rao was sent packing to the dumping yard as DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards does not augur well in the CBI. Though Alok Verma was unceremoniously shunted out of the CBI as its Director last year and his bete noir Rakesh Asthana was also sent packing, situation contiunues to be precarious. The new Director R K Shukla wasn't able to function effectively either due to reported pin-pricking by second in command M. Nageshwar Rao.
Interestingly, this post has been a dumping ground of all unfavourable officers ever since it was created in 1962. Rao's predecessor Alok Verma was also transferred to this post. But he refused to join. However, in the case of Rao, the post was down-graded as he had not been promoted to the DG rank. Rao will retire in July next year.
It may be mentioned that Rao had a controversial career path with several complaints of financial irregularities, influencing investigations etc against him. It is learnt that two complaints were received in the CBI against him raising serious doubts about impartial functioning. It was also alleged that he had closed inquiries against a number of IRS officers including those whose names figured in diaries of Shilong-based CA Sanjay Bhandari. Though no substantial evidence was found, the government deemed it fit to play safe and transfer him.
As the interim CBI chief, Rao had reshuffled and transferred over 20 CBI officers, including Joint Director Arun Kumar Sharma, who had been supervising the probe into a sexual abuse case at a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur, an investigation that was being closely monitored by the Supreme Court. On February 7 this year, taking note of Sharma’s transfer without its approval, the Supreme Court started contempt proceedings against Rao. Later, R K Shukla was brought in. But Rao continued to be under the scanner and finally, he was sent packing as DG Home Guards.
Ends
