CBI vs CBI: SC to hear CVC's preliminary probe report against Alok Verma on Monday

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the findings of the preliminary inquiry against CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma by the Central Vigilance Commission. The apex court had given the CVC two weeks to complete the initial probe against Verma who has been divested of his duties and sent on leave by the Centre.

The hearing assumes significance as Verma, who has a running feud with Special CBI Director Rakesh Asthana, has been appearing before the three-member CVC headed by KV Chowdary and is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled against him by his deputy.

A two-judge bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul will be hearing Verma's plea. The court had appointed former apex court judge AK Patnaik to supervise the ongoing inquiry of CVC against Verma.

While setting the two-week deadline to complete the preliminary inquiry against the CBI director, the top court had on October 26 also issued notices to the Centre and the CVC on the plea of Verma. It had also barred IPS officer M Nageswara Rao, who has been given interim charge of the CBI, from taking any major decision.

The top court will also assess the decisions taken by Rao from October 23, including transfer of investigations and change of investigating officers and is likely to pass some appropriate orders on them. The apex court had asked for a list of decisions taken by Rao since he assumed charge to be furnished before it.

The decisions taken by Rao between "October 23, 2018 and up to this hour including decisions with regard to transfer of investigations, change of investigating officer(s) etc will be furnished to the court in a sealed cover on or before November 12, 2018 whereafter orders as would be appropriate will be passed by the court," the court had said.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CVC, had said that the CVC has been conducting an inquiry into the allegations made in the August 24 letter of the Cabinet Secretary with regard to Verma. 

Besides the plea filed by Verma, the court is also seized of the PIL filed by NGO Common Cause, which has sought a probe by special investigation team against CBI officers including Asthana, and had issued notices to the Centre, CBI, CVC, Asthana, Verma and Rao asking them to respond to it by November 12.

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. "We want to see preliminary probe report in 10 days to decide whether it requires further probe," the bench had said.