Refusing to take transfer, sacked CBI chief Alok Verma resigns, his deputy Asthana's plea to be relieved of bribery case rejected by HC
New Delhi, Jan 11 (IBNS) : Adding more twists to the CBI vs CBI episode, sacked director of the central agency, Alok Verma resigned, three weeks before retirement, refusing to take charge as chief of fire services while the Delhi High Court rejected the plea of his former deputy, Rakesh Asthana to dismiss the bribery case against him and vacated the interim protection, media reports said.
Verma's resignation came after a high-powered panel transferred him to the Fire Services as Director General, after deciding that as CBI chief, he had "not acted with the integrity expected of him". His transfer came only two days after the Supreme Court reinstated him as CBI chief.
In October, he had been sent on forced leave by the government in a midnight move in which officers of his team were transferred and an interim director took over. Verma challenged the decision in the Supreme Court,
Verma was to retire on January 31. "Natural justice was scuttled and the entire process was turned upside down in ensuring that the undersigned is removed from the post of the Director," he said in a statement as he finally quit.
In another development that ran simultaneouslyl,the Delhi High Court rejected CBI number 2 Rakesh Asthana's plea for dismissal of the bribery case against him.
The High Court also vacated the interim protection against arrest earlier granted in favour of Asthana, Special Director of the Central agency, saying that the case against him will continue. The CBI has been told to complete investigation in the case against Mr Asthana and others within 10 weeks.
Justice Najmi Waziri had reserved the judgement on December 20, 2018 on various petitions after hearing submissions of the counsel for CBI, the Centre, Asthana, Deputy Superintendent Devender Kumar, CBI director Alok Kumar Verma and Joint Director A K Sharma.
The court pronounced its verdict on the petitions of Asthana, Kumar and alleged middleman Manoj Prasad seeking quashing of the FIR. Additional Superintendent of Police S S Gurm had also filed a plea in the court to be impleaded as a party.
Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, on whose complaint the FIR was filed, alleged he paid bribe to get relief in a money laundering case involving meat exporter Moin Qureshi.
Verma was accused of corruption by Rakesh Asthana in October, when the two officers traded charges in an unprecedented internal feud within the country's premier investigating agency that came open in public.
Asthana had told the court he was maliciously harassed and there was no evidence against him and the bribery case is a backlash to complaints of criminal misconduct against Alok Verma.
As the government sent both on immediate leave and appointed an interim chief, Verma approached the Supreme Court, which reinstated him, but with curtailed power.
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