CBI likely to file corruption case against Alok Verma

New Delhi: Trouble seems to be brewing for Alok Verma, who was removed as CBI director by Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led selection committee on Thursday, as the central probe agency may register corruption cases against him. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked the CBI to hand over documents related to six cases where Mr Verma is accused of wrongdoing, sources said.

The CVC is reportedly looking into the role of Mr Verma, who resigned from service on Friday, in these cases. These cases include leaking internal documents, diluting look out circulars, protecting people involved in bank fraud, among others.

“The CVC has asked the CBI to submit documents of several cases including, documents pertaining to the probe into the alleged leakage of internal CBI emails in the Nirav Modi case. In June 2018, the CBI had locked the room of the then joint director Rajiv Singh, who was probing the case. Rajiv Singh was later transferred,” a source said.

Another matter under the CVC lens pertains to dilution of look out circular (LoC) in the IDBI Bank fraud case, he said, adding that the CBI may register corruption case against Mr Verma.

There are also allegations that the CBI protected some accused from prosecution in a scam in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) scam, sources added.

The CVC has also asked the CBI to submit documents related to another bank fraud case, they said.

Mr Verma, whose fixed tenure of two years was to end on January 31, was removed as CBI chief on Thursday, a first in the 55-year CBI history to face such an unceremonious exit.

The selection committee’s decision to remove Mr Verma was based on a majority vote of 2:1 with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge opposing it and Justice A K Sikri, appointed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as his nominee, siding with the government, sources said.

A high-powered selection committee decided that Mr Verma should be removed as CBI director and be given charge of fire services.

Sources said the counts of charges cited before the committee against Mr Verma by the CVC included alleged attempts to induct tainted officers, compromising probe in the case related to controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi and IRCTC scam, among others. The CVC claimed that it had found evidence of influencing of probe in the Moin Qureshi case and there were intercepts of RAW that '2 crore had changed hands. The CVC was of the view that his conduct in the case was suspicious and there was a prima facie case against him, and wanted a criminal investigation to be conducted in the case.

In the IRCTC case, the CVC felt that it can be reasonably concluded that Mr Verma deliberately excluded a name from the FIR, for reasons best known to him, sources said. The CVC also found instances of wilful non-production of record and fabrication of record.

The committee also took note of Mr Verma’s attempts to induct officers of doubtful integrity in the CBI. The CVC said that he had been given ample opportunity to present his case before the CVC, in presence of Justice (retd) Patnaik.