New Delhi: CBI director Alok Verma on Friday appeared before a panel headed by the Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chowdary and countered the corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and special director in the probe agency, Rakesh Asthana, for the second consecutive day.
Mr Verma is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled by Mr Asthana before the panel comprising Vigilance Commissioners T.M. Bhasin and Sharad Kumar, sources said.
However, Mr Rakesh Asthana, who followed Mr Verma to the office of the anti-corruption watchdog could not get an audience, as reported by a news agency. Mr Asthana came to the CVC office at around 4.45 pm and stayed there for around 10 minutes, but could not meet any senior official as there was no scheduled appointment.
Mr Verma came to the CVC office early Friday morning and stayed there for about an hour. Justice A.K. Patnaik, a retired Supreme Court judge, who has been asked by the apex court to supervise the CVC inquiry, was also present in the meeting. Mr Verma did not speak to the media waiting outside the CVC office. The Supreme Court had on October 26 asked the Central Vigilance Commission to complete within two weeks its inquiry into the allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana.
The two-week time limit ends on Sunday and the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Monday. Feuding officers Verma and Asthana have been sent on leave by the government.
Besides Verma, Asthana also had on Thursday met Chowdary. Asthana, who also met Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar on Thursday, is understood to have given documentary evidence in support of his charges levelled against Verma, sources said.
The Commission had recently examined some CBI officials probing crucial cases which figured in Asthana’s complaint of corruption against the probe agency’s chief Verma, sources said. The officials said CBI personnel from the rank of inspector up to superintendent of police were called and their versions recorded before a senior CVC official. These officials, who had recorded their statements included those who had handled the Moin Qureshi bribery case, IRCTC scam involving former railway minister Lalu Prasad, and the cattle smuggling case in which a senior BSF officer was caught with wands of cash in Kerala. The Supreme Court had directed that the CVC’s inquiry into the allegations against Verma.
