In a major development, the DoPT has indicted the former CBI chief, Alok Verma. He has been accused by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) on three different counts. He has been accused of stopping former CBI Special Director, Rakesh Asthana from mentioning the name of the then IRCTC Director as an accused. He has also been indicted on the allegation of weakening a case in relation to RJD leader, Lalu Prasad Yadav. And thirdly, the DoPT indicted the former CBI Director of removing the name of Ahluwalia contractors as he was close to the Ahluwalia family.
Apart from this, Alok Verma, who was removed as the CBI Director by a PM-led Panel last month, has also been accused of favoring the induction of two officers, R P Upadhyay and Rajeev Krishna. Internal inquires had reported adverse conduct on the part of both these officers. Thereafter, Verma was appointed as the Director General of fire services, civil defence, and home guards. However, he defied the order and refused to take charge.
It must also be noted that while removing Alok Verma as the CBI chief, the PM-led Committee had also relied upon the CVC report which contained serious charges against Alok Verma. The CVC had also alleged at that time that Verma tried to save an officer closer to Lalu Yadav in the IRCTC case. The Committee stated that “In the IRCTC case, the CVC felt that it can be reasonably concluded that Shri Verma deliberately excluded a name from the FIR, for reasons best known to him.” The CVC report had also included “Instances of willful non-production of record, and fabrication of record” and “Attempts to induct officers of doubtful integrity in CBI.” As noted above the DoPT has also indicted Alok Verma on these two charges now and therefore the CVC report now stands substantiated.
Last month, it was reported that the CVC would write to the government recommending that a departmental inquiry and probe be launched against him by the CBI itself. TOI had reported that a senior source in the CVC had said, “this is a logical corollary of our preliminary probe and the recommendation we made for further probe with regard to some of the charges facing Verma.” The Vigilance body had backed its recommendation by citing certain allegations of corruption which needed to be investigated.
The Central Vigilance Commission, the apex body to address government corruption, had come with some other shocking revelations in a CBI case as well. The CVC probe into the allegations against the ousted CBI director, Alok Verma, had found that there was ‘prejudice’ against special director Rakesh Asthana. A ‘secret note’ to hold Asthana’s promotion dated October 2017 was found.
Verma accused the CVC of bias against him. Support had come for Verma from other quarters as well. Even Malikarjun Kharge, who was part of the PM led Committee that removed Alok Verma as the CBI Director, had given a dissent note. Kharge had even stated that the curbs which had been imposed on Alok Verma at the time of reinstatement should be done away with. Even though it is clear that the CVC had leveled serious charges against him, the left-liberal ecosystem had attempted to portray the government in a bad light over the entire issue. However, with the DoPT indicting Verma, it seems that the CVC report and the allegations contained therein stand substantiated.