New Delhi: Former Madhya Pradesh Police chief Rishi Kumar Shukla was on Saturday appointed CBI director for a fixed tenure of two years from the day he takes up the position, according to an order issued by the personnel ministry.
The appointment was made by the prime minister-led selection panel.
The 1983-batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre is at present chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Police Housing Corporation.
Shukla’s name was short-listed during the second meeting of the selection committee held on Friday.
The development assumes significance as on Friday, the Supreme Court had said it was “averse” to the arrangement of an interim CBI Director and the Centre should “immediately” appoint a regular chief of the probe agency.
The post of CBI Director is “sensitive” and “important”, and it is not good to keep an interim director of the agency for longer period, the top court observed and sought to know as to why the government has not made the appointment yet.
The post has been lying vacant since January 10 after the ouster of Alok Verma, who had been engaged in a protracted and bitter battle with Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana over corruption charges. Both had accused each other of corruption.
After his unceremonious exit from the CBI by the prime minister-led panel, Alok Verma was named the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards – a considerably less significant portfolio.
Verma refused to accept the offer and requested the government to be considered as deemed superannuated as he had completed 60 years of superannuation on July 31, 2017.
Friday’s meeting was held at the prime minister’s residence – that lasted for over an hour – and attended by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge, who is the leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.
Verma had taken over as the CBI chief on February 1, 2017 for a two-year fixed term that ended on Thursday.
M. Nageswara Rao has been working as the interim CBI chief since Verma’s ouster.
(With PTI inputs)