New Delhi: Senior Supreme Court judge AK Sikri, who was a part of a panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that removed Alok Verma from his post of CBI director, on Monday wrote to the Law Ministry to formally withdraw his consent for a post-retirement position.

According to media reports, Sikri was nominated for the vacant post of president/member in the London-based CSAT by the Modi government in 2018.

Sikri removed withdrew his consent after he was pained by the fact that his nomination to CSAT was being connected with the removal of Verma. However, in reality there is no possibility of any correlation between these events.

"The SC judgment (on Verma being sent on leave) came in January first week and till the pronouncement of judgment, there was no way I would have known that I would one day be nominated by the Chief Justice of India to take part in the selection committee meeting on the desirability of Verma's continuance as CBI director," Sikri told Times of India.

Sikri is expected to retire on March 6.

Also read: Justice AK Sikri, who voted to remove Alok Verma as CBI director, to join Commonwealth tribunal

Sikri recently made headlines for being part of a three-member committee which decided to remove Verma from the post of director of the CBI. Verma was subsequently shunted out as director-general of fire services, civil defence and home guard.

On October 23, Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana were sent on indefinite leave by the Central Vigilance Commission, following a long-drawn feud over corruption allegations.

Verma was reinstated by the Supreme Court on January 8 before the Modi-led panel decided to sack him.