Stage set for picking new CBI chief

New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has initiated the process for selecting the chief of the country’s premier investigating agency CBI. Sources said that a meeting of the collegium, headed by the Prime Minister, is expected to take place on November 26 to finalise the name for the next CBI director. Current incumbent Anil Sinha is set to retire on December 2.

After the enactment of the Lokpal Act — meant to give more teeth to the CBI — the director of the agency has to be appointed by a collegium of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India or his nominee and the Leader of the Opposition. “As per the existing norm, the Central government has to appoint the CBI director on the recommendation of the collegium only,” sources said.

“The Centre has already prepared a list of senior IPS officials (all from 1979 batch to 1982) of the country for the coveted post. As per Supreme Court guidelines, IPS officers from the four seniormost batches and having experience in the anti-corruption department or in the CBI have to be empanelled for selection as the CBI director, following which a screening of three officers would be sent to the collegium,” sources said. The CBI director would have a fixed two-year tenure irrespective of his date of retirement.

While several names are doing the rounds, it is also believed that Mr Sinha may be given a short-term extension.

Among the prominent names, which could make the cut as the director CBI, are special CBI director R.K. Dutta (1981 batch Karnataka cadre), director-general of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Archana Ramasundram (1980-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre), director-general of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) Dr M.C. Borwankar, Delhi police commissioner Alok Verma (1979-batch IPS officer of the Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories cadre), director-general of police (Maharashtra), Satish Mathur (1981 batch IPS) and Krishna Chaudhary, director-general of the ITBP.