Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has clarified that its Director Alok Kumar Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana continue to hold their posts and have not been removed. The two have been asked to go on leave till the ongoing investigations in the counter allegations are on.
On M Nageswar Rao’s appointment as CBI chief, an official said, “Rao’s appointment as the CBI Director is only for the interim period, and is a temporary measure. He is looking after the duties and functions of the director as per the Government of India order till the time the Central Vigilance Commission completes the investigations into allegations and counter allegations against both senior officials.” Rao is the senior most available officer so he was given charge, the official added.
Responding to queries on allegations against Rao, the CBI official said, “We are not commenting on the credibility of Rao, there are many allegations against public servants that keep doing rounds.”
The officials also said that the recent spat has affected the image of the CBI. “We are fighting important cases internationally and these can get affected so we are conscious that whatever we do should not affect the credibility of the organisation. Any fall of credibility can potentially affect international cases. Internally, we feel that the picture that is being presented is distorted,” he added while referring to stories that claimed that some files were missing from within the CBI. The official maintained that all files and documents were accounted for within the CBI.