Alok Kumar Verma appointed as CBI Director

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on 19 January 2017 approved the appointment of Alok Kumar Verma as the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). His appointment will be for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of his office.

Verma succeeded Anil Sinha, who retired from his office on 2 December 2016. At present, Rakesh Asthana, an IPS-officer of Gujarat cadre, is the interim director of the investigating agency.

Alok Kumar Verma took charge as Delhi Police Commissioner

Alok Kumar Verma, currently Delhi Police commissioner, is a 1979 batch Indian Police Service officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre. He took over Delhi Police as its Commissioner on 29 February 2016.

His name was cleared by a three-member selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The other two members of the panel were the Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Alok Kumar Verma

• This appointment of Verma as the CBI director is his 24th posting in a 36-year long career as a police officer.

• Earlier, he had handled vigilance work between February 2011 and February 2012 as a special commissioner of police in Delhi. But, he carries no experience of working with CBI.

• He had served Mizoram as the police chief and the director general of Tihar prisons.

• Between August 2007 and December 2008, he served Delhi Police crime branch as the joint and special commissioner.

• He had also served as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Puducherry and the Inspector General of Police in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Debate on the appointment

As per a report, this appointment of Verma as CBI Chief was immediately criticised by Mallikarjun Kharge, who was the member of the selection panel. The displeasure was displayed as pre-requisite for the appointment of the CBI chief was not fulfilled in appointing Verma for the post. Pre-requisite requirements include

• The officer appointed to the post should have a prior working experience in the CBI, Lok Ayukta or handled corruption cases.

• The Delhi Special Police Establishment Act clearly says that the appointee should have dealt with corruption cases along with his/her seniority, merit.