TIL Desk/National/New Delhi/ Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Monday recused himself from hearing a plea challenging the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director, saying he would be part of the selection committee to choose the agency’s new chief.
The high-powered committee to select the Central Bureau of Investigation director comprises the prime minister, the leader of the largest opposition party and the CJI or his nominee judge of the apex court. A bench comprising CJI and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a PIL filed by NGO Common Cause challenging the appointment of Rao as interim CBI director.
On January 10, Rao, additional director in the CBI, was made interim chief till the appointment of a new director. This was after a high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Alok Kumar Verma as chief of the probe agency on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty.
The petition has sought specific mechanisms to ensure transparency in the process of appointing the CBI director. It alleged that Rao’s appointment was not made on the basis of recommendations of the high-powered selection committee.
