New CBI director: High-level committee shortlists three candidates; Karnataka top cop frontrunner

New CBI director: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is looking for a new director, as the tenure of current Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is soon ending. A high-level committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, is on the lookout.

The committee shortlisted three senior IPS officers for the post of CBI Director at a meeting on May 13 evening. The shortlisted names have now been forwarded to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. The Cabinet will select one of them for the top post.

Three officers make the cut

The three IPS officers who made the cut for the top post are from Karnataka, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh cadres. They are Praveen Sood, currently serving as Director General of Police (DGP) in Karnataka, Sudhir Kumar Saxena, DGP of Madhya Pradesh, and Taj Hassan, Director General of Fire Service, Civil Defence and Home Guards.

The top contender DGP Sood is a 1986 batch IPS officer. According to information, he seems to have the backing of the prime minister and the CJI. However, the Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, is against him. He submitted a detailed dissent note opposing Sood's candidature on the grounds that he was not part of the pool of IPS officers eligible to serve at DGP level at the Centre.

Jaiswal, a 1985-batch IPS officer from Maharashtra cadre , took over as the CBI Director on May 26, 2021. He succeeded R.K. Shukla.

Two-year term on the post

The CBI chief is selected by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, CJI and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha for a fixed tenure of two years, which can be extended up to five years.

The search for a new CBI Director comes at a time when the agency is investigating several sensitive cases, such as the Pegasus spyware scandal and the alleged irregularities in the procurement of medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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