The high-powered selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday choose a name from a list of five IPS officers of 1983 and 1984 batches for the appointment as CBI Director. The other members of the high-level selection committee are Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. 

The list of officials in the race are Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Directors General of Police OP Singh and Shivanand Jha respectively, CISF chief Rajesh Ranjan, and BSF Director General Rajnikarnt Mishra besides Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Home Ministry Rina Mitra, sources said.

While Singh and Jha do not have any experience in the CBI, Ranjan, Mishra and Mitra have served in the premier investigating agency in the past. 1983-batch IPS officer Singh is from Uttar Pradesh cadre, Jha is a Gujarat-cadre officer, and Mitra is from Madhya Pradesh cadre. Ranjan is a 1984-batch Bihar cadre officer, and Mishra from the same batch is an officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

A senior official in the know of the things with regard to the appointment said there are surprise elements in the appointment process. Given the track record, the Modi Government loves to choose by surprise.

The appointment of the CBI chief comes close on the heels of the selection panel’s decision to remove Alok Verma from the post following a bitter feud he had with his deputy Rakesh Asthana. The Government had on the midnight of October 23 sent both Verma and Asthana on forced leave after divesting them of all powers. Verma then challenged the Government’s decision before the Supreme Court, which reinstated Verma as CBI chief on January 8. But the Selection Panel removed Verma as CBI boss and transferred him on January 11 as DG Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. However, Verma refused to take the role and submitted his resignation the next day.

Meanwhile, the Government is also in the process of appointing two 1990-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officers — Tanuja Srivastava and Tilotma Verma as Joint Director in the CBI. Madhya Pradesh cadre officer of 1987-batch Sudhir Saxena is likely to be appointed as Additional Director of the agency, a post that fell vacant after transfer of Additional Director AK Sharma who has now been appointed as ADG in the CRPF. Sharma’s name had also figured in the controversy between Verma and Asthana.