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Regular-article-logo Friday, 03 May 2024

CBI hands over files on Alok Verma to CVC

Commission has to wade through hundreds of pages and file report in 2 weeks

Our Special Correspondent New Delhi Published 29.10.18, 09:55 PM
Alok Verma was appointed the CBI director in February last year, but Asthana refused to accept him as their boss.

Alok Verma was appointed the CBI director in February last year, but Asthana refused to accept him as their boss. The Telegraph file picture

The CBI on Monday handed over to the Central Vigilance Commission all the files and documents relating to special director Rakesh Asthana’s bribery allegations against director Alok Verma, agency spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

A CVC official said the corruption watchdog would struggle to meet the two-week deadline for the completion of its probe, set by the Supreme Court on Friday.

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“We are running against time as the files and documents sent by the CBI run into hundreds of pages. Verma, Asthana and other agency officials will be summoned only after all the documents have been examined,” the official said.

Both Verma and Asthana were benched in a pre-dawn operation on October 23 following their ugly turf war, which witnessed them hurling bribery charges against each other and led to an FIR against Asthana at Verma’s behest.

The government claims Verma was benched because he was not cooperating with the CVC probe into Asthana’s allegations against him.

Verma had challenged the government action against him in the Supreme Court, which appointed a retired judge to monitor the CVC probe against him and set the deadline. The top court, however, refused to hear Asthana’s plea against his removal.

Asthana and Verma have accused each other of accepting bribes from meat exporter Moin Qureshi to give him relief in a case.

Qureshi, embroiled in several cases of money-laundering and corruption, is accused of arranging bribes for top CBI officers from rich people they were investigating.

The CBI has changed the investigating officer in the Qureshi case. Satish Dagar, a superintendent of police, has replaced A.K. Bassi, who was said to be close to Verma and was transferred to Port Blair after the benching of Verma and Asthana.

“Dagar is now probing both the Qureshi and Asthana cases,” a CBI officer said.

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