PM Modi-led panel shortlists panel of 3 IPS officers for CBI Director's post

New Delhi, May 13

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led panel comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chaowdhury on Saturday day met here and shortlisted three senior IPS officers for the post of CBI Director, sources in the government said.

According to sources, the high-level committee has sent three names to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which will finally pick one of them for the post of the CBI Director.

They said that names of senior IPS officers from Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab were discussed during the meeting.

The names of three candidates, which were discussed, included IPS Praveen Sood of 1986-batch Karnataka cadre officer and 1987-batch Punjab cadre officer Dinkar Gupta and Madhya Pradesh cadre officer Sushir Saxena of the same batch, the sources said.

While Gupta is currently heading the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Saxena is the Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh and Sood is helming the Karnataka Police.

The sources, however, said Chowdhury has given his dissent note against Sood and Saxena.

CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal’s fixed tenure of two years is going to an end on May 25 and the move indicated that his candidature for extension was not discussed. Jaiswal, a former Mumbai Police Commission Jaiswal, is a 1985-batch IPS officer from Maharashtra cadre, who took over the reins of the CBI on May 26, 2021.

The CBI Director 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. The tenure can be extended up to five years.

The CBI is the premiere anti-corruption investigation agency of the country under the Personnel Ministry headed by the Prime Minister.

During the meeting, the possible candidates for appointment as new Central Vigilance Commissioner and member Lok Pal were also discussed, the sources said.