The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear today the petition of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma challenging the government’s move to divest him of powers last month amid a feud with his deputy Rakesh Asthana.
The Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) is investigating allegations against Verma.
Verma, who has a running feud with the premier agency’s special director Asthana, has been appearing before the three-member panel headed by KV Chowdary and is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled against him by his deputy.
People familiar with the matter say the commission has completed its probe and will file a report before the court on Monday.
In an October 26 order, the court gave CVC two weeks to complete the probe against Verma, who has accused the government of interfering with CBI’s independence and autonomy. It also said the inquiry will be done under the supervision of a retired SC judge in a “one-time exception”.
The Congress party’s leader in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, too has filed a petition in the matter, saying he should be heard because he is a member of the three-member committee that selects the CBI chief.
The other two panel members are the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India (CJI). Kharge is part of the panel as the leader of the largest opposition party in Parliament’s Lower House.
Verma and Asthana were divested of their responsibilities last month after engaging in an unprecedented public feud in which they traded allegations of corruption against each other. Asthana has also moved the Supreme Court with a separate petition in the matter and has sought removal of Verma from the post of CBI director.