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CBI vs CBI Live updates: Government has no intention of targeting anyone, says BJP

The SC ordered the CVC to complete probe against Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana in two weeks.

LIVE Blog

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with other senior party leaders, have been arrested in Lodhi Road police station, during protests against CBI Director Alok Verma's removal. Meanwhile, Union Minister Arun Jaitley claimed that the government has no intention of targeting anyone.

WATCH: Live Coverage of CBI vs CBI case on Zee News

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court ordered the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to complete the probe into allegations and counter allegations within two weeks under the supervision of former SC judge A K Patnaik. Interim CBI chief Nagheshwar Rao will perform only routine tasks and not take any policy decisions till SC hears the matter again, said Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. 

CBI Special Director Asthana also moved the Supreme Court on Friday morning.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi is leading a protest outside all CBI offices across the country, demanding the reinstatement of Verma. Trinamool Congress has joined the protests. The Opposition is also seeking an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for denting the image of the premier investigating agency.

Here are the live updates:

26 October 2018
16:18 PM

At least Eight leaders and 150 workers were detained for around 20 minutes and then released, confirmed the DCP South Vijay Kumar. The leaders along with Congress president Rahul Gandhi were arrested for staging protest outside CBI headquarters in Delhi.

15:30 PM

The Prime Minister can run, he can hide but in the end, truth will be revealed. Removing CBI Director will not help. PM acted against CBI Director; it was an act out of panic, says Congress president Rahul Gandhi after leaving Lodhi Colony police station in Delhi.

14:21 PM

Scenes of chaos emerged at Lodhi Road Police station where Congress chief Rahul Gandhi along with top party leaders Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel, Pramod Tiwari were arrested after staging a protest outside the CBI headquarters here against the move to divest CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers and send him on leave. Hundreds of detained party workers raised slogans inside the police stations.

14:12 PM

Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other leaders who were protesting near CBI headquarters have been arrested, confirmed RS Surjewala. 

 

 

13:58 PM

The Congress protest demanding reinstatement of ousted CBI Director Alok Verma threw traffic on some roads of the national capital in a tizzy as commuters faced a tough time reaching their destination. The traffic was affected on Lodhi Road, CGO Complex, Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Sai Baba Chowk and near Dayal Singh College, traffic police said.

13:51 PM

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with senior party leaders including Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel and Pramod Tiwari are currently headed towards Lodhi Road police station to court arrest. The leaders have been protesting against the overnight ouster of CBI Director Alok Verma.

13:34 PM

"The current CBI controversy is an extremely positive development. Government has no interest for or against any individual. Govt is interested in maintaining professionalism, image & constitutional integrity of CBI. Recent developments had eroded the credibility of #CBI. CVC in the interest of fairness passed an order that till investigations are pending against two top officers of CBI, they must step aside and recuse themselves from CBI functioning till inquiry is over. Today SC has further strengthened the fairness criteria. They fixed a time limit&in order to ensure that highest standard of fairness are maintained even in the inquiry they have appointed a retired judge to ensure that the CVC inquiry is extremely fair," said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

 

 

13:32 PM

 "The government has no intention of targeting anyone or any institution. The government only wants CBI to maintain its integrity and professionalism," he said. "Recent developments had eroded CBI credibility. SC even further strengthened criteria of fairness," says Union Minister Arun Jaitley. 

 

13:28 PM

Congress workers detained by police during protests near CBI headquarters in Delhi.

 

13:10 PM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal welcomes SC order

"Welcome intervention by the hon’ble Supreme Court of India in the CBI matter. In the interests of the nation, hope that institutional integrity of CBI will be upheld & powers that be will understand that their illegal acts will not go unchallanged," he tweeted.

 

12:59 PM

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot lead the protest march to CBI HQ against the removal of CBI Chief Alok Verma. 

 

12:58 PM

Delhi: Congress's Anand Sharma, CPI's D Raja and Sharad Yadav outside Dyal Singh College, ahead of the protest march to CBI HQ against the removal of CBI Director Alok Verma.

 

12:57 PM

Congress protests intensify. In Chandigarh, police use water cannon to disperse demonstrators.

 

 

12:02 PM

Congress workers protesting outside CBI headquarters in Delhi. Security has been beefed up in the area. 

11:46 AM

"Decisions taken by Rao from Oct 23 till date shall not be implemented. Decisions taken by Rao till date have to be placed before it in a sealed cover," says SC, posts next date of hearing on November 12.

11:44 AM

Centre and CBI will provide CVC report to court in a sealed cover within 10 days. CVC will conclude pribe in  two weeks time: SC

11:41 AM

Interim CBI director Nageshwar Rao will not take any policy decisions till Supreme Court hears the matter again, said CJI Ranjan Gogoi.

11:35 AM

"CVC will carry on probe in 10 days under the supervision of a judge of this court. M Nageshwar Rao shall perform only routine task. Change of investigating officer by CBI will be furnished in sealed cover on November 12 before SC," said CJI Gogoi. 

11:35 AM

"Inquiry in respect of the allegation made in the note of the Secretariat as regards the present CBI Dir Alok Verma shall be completed by the CVC within a period of 2 weeks from today.The inquiry will be conducted by the retired SC judge AK Patnaik," CJI Gogoi states in his order.

11:33 AM

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta tells SC that probe cannot be done within 10 days but SC says that probe should be done within that period and the matter should not linger on. 

SC says CVC needs to complete probe on CBI Director and Special Director in 10 days under the supervision of retired SC judge AK Patnaik.

 

 

11:32 AM

SC will not hear Asthana's petition today. "Your petition is not listed before us today, we will hear your case some other day," SC told Mukul Rohatgi.

11:26 AM

SC orders CVC should complete probe against Verma in 10 days

"We have in mind that CVC should complete inquiry against Alok Verma within 10 days and the present incumbent should not take any major decision," said the SC bench.
 

11:17 AM

Hearing begins in SC on CBI chief Alok Verma's plea against the government. 

Advocate Fali S Nariman is representing Verma while Mukul Rohatgi is representing Asthana.

Attorney general KK Venugopal will represent Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) and additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta will represent Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

11:15 AM

Congress workers gather outside Delhi's Dyal Singh college and other CBI offices across the country. Images of party workers outside CBI offices in Patna and Bengaluru.

 

11:08 AM

CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana moves the Supreme Court against the Centre's leave order.

10:56 AM

With the case of CBI director Alok Verma's case scheduled to be heard in an hour, both sides have left for the Supreme Court. 

"It is just one more case. What is big about it? It is not as important as you think it is," said former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who's representing Special Director Asthana, while leaving for SC from his home.

 

10:13 AM

Trinamool Congress MP Nadeem Ul Haq will join the Congress protest at Central Bureau of Investigation HQ against the removal of CBI Director Alok Verma. The party announced its decision to join COngress protests earlier today.

10:13 AM

CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana outside former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi's residence in Delhi.

 

10:07 AM

"Join us today at 11 AM as we march from Dayal Singh College on Lodhi Road to the CBI HQ, to protest the PM’s disgraceful & unconstitutional attempt to block an investigation into the Rafale scam by removing the CBI Chief. Similar protests are being held today, across India," tweets Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

 

 

10:05 AM

Trinamool Congress will join the Congress party protest led Rahul Gandhi at Central Bureau of Investigation headquarters against the removal of CBI Director Alok Verma

10:01 AM

"Tomorrow, outside CBI offices nationwide, the Congress party will protest the PM's disgraceful attempt to prevent an investigation into the Rafale scam, by removing the CBI Chief. I will lead the protests outside CBI HQ in Delhi, at 11 AM," tweeted Rahul Gandhi.

 

Congress has accused the Narendra Modi-led government in Centre of hampering the investigations related to Rafale deal. 

09:55 AM

Director Verma, in his plea, alleged that besides sending him and Special Director Asthana on leave, several officers probing sensitive cases have been changed. There's a need for an independent probe agency as there were are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government, he says in the plea.

Advocate Gopal Shankarnaryanan is appearing for the CBI chief.

09:54 AM

The Supreme Court will hear the petition filed by CBI director Verma, challenging the decision of the Centre to divest him of his duties and sending him on leave, in a short while from now. He has also sought stay of the Centre's order asking him to proceed on leave and giving the interim charge of his post to Joint Director M Nageswara Rao, a 1986 batch Odisha-cadre IPS officer. His petition will come for hearing along with another plea filed on Thursday by an NGO, 'Common Cause', which has sought SIT probe into the allegations of corruption against CBI officials including special director Rakesh Asthana.

Verma's petition is listed for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph. 

09:45 AM

In an unprecedented development, the Prime Minister-led Appointments Committee appointed M Nageshwar Rao as the interim head of the investigative agency and sent the top three agency bosses - CBI Director Alok Verma, Special Director Rakesh Asthana and Additional Director AK Sharma - on leave. Verma later approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision. The developments took places on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Several top CBI officers investigating sensitive cases were also transferred.

The feud between Verma and Asthana had escalated recently, with both accusing each other or bribery and hampering probes.

Last week, an FIR against Asthana and Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is in the CBI custody in an alleged bribery case, was registered. The FIR was lodged on a written complaint of Satish Babu Sana on October 15. It alleged that Kumar, the IO in a case, was repeatedly calling him to the CBI office to harass and compel him to pay bribe of Rs 5 crore for giving him clean chit.

Asthana and Kumar both challenged the FIR in the Delhi High Court, which on Tuesday ordered CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings against Asthana.

At this point, the Centre, the Central Vigilance Commission and the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) intervened and decided to send the CBI Director and the Special Director on leave.

Calling it an extraordinary situation, the Centre announced the formation of a  Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe into the bribery charges.

The Opposition has come down heavily on the internal tussle at the CBI, holding the Narendra Modi government responsible for the entire mess and denting the central probe agency's credibility. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also raked up the Rafale angle behind the action against Verma.