Mallikarjun Kharge, who was on the PM Modi-led panel to select the CBI chief, alleged that Rishi Kumar Shukla does not have the required experience.
New Delhi: Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his dissent on the appointment of new CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla, alleging that the officer did not have experience in handling anti-corruption cases and the criterion for selection was diluted in violation of law and Supreme Court judgements.
Kharge sent a two-page dissent note to the prime minister this evening after the government announced the name of the 1983 batch officer and former Madhya Pradesh Director General of Police as the new CBI Director.
Shukla was removed as DGP of Madhya Pradesh only three days ago by the new Congress government in the state.
Kharge in his note said the three-member committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and in which he is a member along with Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, has violated the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (DSPE) that governs the CBI and the Supreme Court judgements.
Kharge said the criterion in selecting the CBI Director has been diluted to include investigation experience only and not experience in investigating anti-corruption cases.
“By including officers who do not have experience in investigating anti-corruption cases, committee is in violation of DSPE Act and Supreme Court judgements guiding CBI Director’s appointment,” he said.
“Seniority cannot be only criterion in appointment to such a critical post and experience in anti-corruption cases and prior experience of having served in the organisation should also be considered,” said the Congress leader in his dissent note.
Also read: Rishi Kumar Shukla: Philosophy post-grad who takes over as new CBI chief
Today’s THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL on its page 5 (flowing on from page 1) gives interesting data presented by Mr Kharge about 5 contenders for the CBI chief’s post.
Of all the five, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar has 170 months of experience in investigation, 25 months in anti-corruption. If for brevity I write it as 170/25, then other contenders figures are:
Sudeep Lakhtakia: 155/14
A.P. Maheshwari: 147/14
Rushi Kumar Shukla: 117/0.
Today’s THE INDIAN EXPRESS mentions that the fifth contender, S. Javed Ahmad has a total experience of 303 months (his anti-corruption experience is not mentioned separately, but should be substantial looking at his overall figure which is a good 130 months more than the next senior most contender).
It is clear from the above that Rishi Shukla has minimum overall experience, and ZERO in anti-corruption. (Some Supreme Court verdict had apparently stated that a CBI director should have high experience in anti-corruption.) His appointment is “political” is clear from the fact that he was removed from the post of DGP of Madhya Pradesh within days of the Congress forming the government there. So perhaps he was seen as a “BJP man”, a fact that is confirmed by his winning favour with Mr Modi.
This appointment will assure that CBI will not open the Rafale investigation for at least another 2 years, which will be the tenure of Rushi Shukla.
This is very interesting. If the BJP loses in 2019 general election, then the Rafale investigation will become sometime in 2021. It will near completion in 2-3 years after that, around 2023-24. Haha, just about the time of NEXT general election in 2024! So what are the implications of this — are we going to have a BJP-mukt government for 10 straight years??!! My God, am I hallucinating or what?
(My euphoria is based on my belief that Mr Modi will never, NEVER be able to defend 1) why he chose Anil Ambani, and 2) why he reduced the figure from 126 to 36).
1. It is indeed good to know that the three member panel comprising (a) PM Narendra Modi, (b) Chief Justice of India, and (c) leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (Mallikarjun Kharge) has selected Rishi Kumar Shukla as Director of CBI. Hopefully, with this appointment, which has been announced on 2nd February, 2019, avoidable controversy regarding appointment to a very sensitive and highly politicized post would come to an end. 2. But as expected, Mallikarjun Kharge has expressed his dissent on appointment of R K Shukla as CBI Director as he (Kharge) thinks that R K Shukla has not worked in anti-corruption agency and hence he (Shukla) does not possess adequate experience of investigation of anti-corruption cases. 3. Citizen-voters like me wish that the Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is as serious about curbing corruption as he is about appointment of right person (as perceived by him) as CBI Director. 4. I am reminded of fact that just a few months ago Ghulam Nabi Azad, Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha, had opposed setting-up of Fast Track Court, when a bill for setting-up of these Fast Track Courts, was being discussed in the Rajya Sabha. It is worth noting here that these Courts, which are being set-up as suggested by the Supreme Court, are expected to expedite trials of corruption & other cases filed against lawmakers.
In effect, this is giving the CJI the final word. Unanimity is the ideal to aim for.