India
Special director Rakesh Asthana, in his complaint, said that the CBI chief prevented him from raiding in the IRCTC case. Did chief Alok Verma stop him? The CBI denies the allegation.
New Delhi: It is CBI versus CBI now, as two top officers — CBI chief Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana — have filed complaints against each other. Also, through a press statement, the CBI has defended Its chief but no statement has been issued from 'no. 2' in the agency, Asthana.
For some, the clash owes to the race to be the next CBI chief as Asthana is likely to be the first choice of the Narendra Modi government.
The CBI, in its statement, has accepted that some files have been sought by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) on the basis of a complaint filed by Asthana.
"It is stated that the CVC has sought for certain case files from the CBI on the basis of a complaint filed by the Special Director, CBI. In its response to the CVC letter, the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) of CBI has pointed out that the complaint is an attempt by the complainant to intimidate the officers of CBI who are investigating his role in at least half a dozen cases," the nation's prime investigation agency said.
"(The) CBI has pointed out in its letter to (the) CVC that the issue relating to the IRCTC case was raked up earlier also and brought before the Hon’ble Supreme Court on two occasions. The matter was dismissed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The petitioners were also in possession of information from highly confidential internal documents, which is a serious offence," the agency said.
The CBI, in a fix as to whom it ought to defend, has so far defended its chief, saying that "Irrespective of the maitainability (sic) of the complaint, (the) CBI has provided most of the files as requested by the CVC and the remaining will be submitted soon."
Asthana, in his complaint, has reportedly said that the CBI chief prevented him from raiding in the IRCTC case.
However, the CBI says, "The allegation of preventing raids against the accused in the IRCTC case is absolutely false. The investigation of the case has resulted in (the) filing (of) a charge sheet before the designated court. This could not have been possible without the explicit approval of the Director CBI."
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