CBI Director Alok Verma joined the office on Wednesday, 77 days after being sent for a forced leave by the Central Government through a critical late night order on October 23, 2018, which was kept aside by the Supreme Court.
Order of October, Verma and his deputy special director Rakesh Asthana were booked by the agency on charges of corruption, in the history of the agency, exiled to the government for the first time in exile.
In order to send Verma on leave, the government ignored the defense given to the CBI director by the Supreme Court so that any political intervention could ensure the minimum tenure of two years to protect the incumbent.
While trying to justify his decision, the government said that it has become necessary among an unprecedented feud between the two senior officials of the agency who had accused each other of corruption, a logic that the top court has on Tuesday Dismissed.
The government had given charge to the then Joint Director M Nageshwar Rao, who was later promoted to the Additional Director of the agency.
Verma had challenged this move in the Supreme Court, in which Rao was inducted as a director and had stopped him from making any major policy decision till the last order.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld Verma's forced leave in his order but prevented him from taking any major policy decision till the CVC's investigation of allegations of corruption against him.
In the absence of a clear definition of "major policy" decisions, the grey area exists to what extent Verma's powers will be limited to.
The apex court said that on 31 January, another decision against Verma, who retires, will be taken by a high-powered committee, which selects and appoints the CBI director.
In the judgment of Vineet Narayan, the Supreme Court had fixed a minimum two-year term for the CBI director to protect against any political interference. Later, through the Lokpal Act, the process of selection of CBI director was handed over to a selection committee.
