The Centre on Friday night abruptly removed controversial IPS officer Nageswar Rao as CBI additional director, months after it had chosen him to head the investigating agency as its interim chief.
Rao has been appointed director-general, fire services, civil defence and home guard by “temporarily downgrading the post” to the level of additional director general. The decision to “curtail” his tenure in the CBI was taken by the cabinet’s appointments committee, which includes Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah.
Sources said the sudden ouster is linked to allegations of corruption against the officer, whom the Modi government in its last term had twice appointed interim CBI chief despite widespread misgivings.
The first time was in a midnight operation in October when the Modi government benched Alok Verma as CBI director and handed charge of the agency to Rao, then a joint director. He was promoted to additional director-general in December.
Rao, who remained at the helm of the CBI till February 3 barring two days in January when Verma was reinstated only to be removed again, was caught in a controversy when Calcutta police searched a firm with which his wife allegedly had a financial association. He has denied the allegations of corruption.
On February 3, Rao’s last day as interim chief, a CBI team had arrived at the residence of then Calcutta police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to question him in the Saradha case but were thwarted. The search on the firm linked to Rao’s wife was conducted a day before Kumar was questioned by the CBI in Shillong later in February.
The CBI has sought custodial interrogation of Kumar, an agency official said. “If Calcutta police take any action against Rao and his family, then it would be a big embarrassment for the agency,” the official added.
In February, the Supreme Court had held Rao guilty of contempt in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case. Besides imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh, the court had ordered Rao to sit in a corner of the court till the end of the day’s proceedings.
