Samikhsya Bureau
The Narendra Modi government at the Centre has on Tuesday got a jolt after the Supreme Court quashed its order of sending the Central Bureau of Investigation director Alok Verma on forced leave. The Apex court said the central government did not have authority to send Verma on leave.
Though the Supreme Court said Verma could not take major policy decisions till the committee formed to probe him complete its inquiry, the verdict is a moral victory for the CBI chief and a tight slap on the central government headed by Modi.
Talking to the media, Verma’s lawyer and senior Supreme Court advocate Sanjay Hegde told reporters in New Delhi: “I do not see it as a victory for Verma but also for the independence of investigating agencies in the country.”
In a midnight coup in October last year, Verma had been divested of all charges and asked to proceed on leave. The central government appointed M. Nageswara Rao as the interim CBI chief in his place. It was alleged at that time that Verma was removed from his post because he was poised to initiate an inquiry into the alleged Rafale scam.
The Supreme Court has delivered jolt to the Modi government at a time when it is facing criticism for subverting investigating agencies and other democratic institutions. The court order will also boost the morale of self-respecting and independent government officials who are not cowed by political pressures.
Before going on leave, Verma had initiated a preliminary enquiry (PE) into alleged Rafale scam. The most important thing he may do is to turn the PE into criminal investigation before he retires at the end of January.
