CBI is suffering from autoimmunity. Instead of acting against corruption among public servants which is its mandate , it is attacking itself. The internecine battle between the Director Alok Kumar Verma and Additional Director Rakesh Asthana has been momentarily halted by CVC's order issued during October 23- 24 noctural hours. The scene now shifts to the Supreme Court which will have a preliminary hearing on October 26th on Alok Verma's petition against the CVC order forcing him to go on leave. The Chief Justice cannot hear the petition because he is ex-officio a member of the committee in charge of selection and transfer of CBI Director.
Congress party which opposed Verma's appointment as CBI Director is now 'making amends' by condemning the action against him. Political opportunism? Opposition parties do not question Verma's action of divesting Asthana of his duties at 9 p.m. but they are outraged that CVC passed its order late night.
Verma vs Asthana is only a proxy for the bigger battle that is raging between Congress and BJP. BJP's repeated attempts to 'prove' the 'corrupt deeds' of Congress leaders are checkmated in various institutions by individuals allegedly owing allegiance to Congress. It is no wonder that a politically polarised institution like the CBI is functionally paralysed. What is even more worrisome is the possibility of political balkanisation of even the judiciary. Serial reliefs extended to P.Chidambaram from custodial interrogation is a painful pointer.
There is a view that the Committee in charge of appointment of CBI Director alone could have taken the decision to ask Verma to proceed on leave. It appears that the government did not exercise this option because the government would have been helpless if the CJI and the Congress representative did not favour CVC's proposal.
Congress party which opposed Verma's appointment as CBI Director is now 'making amends' by condemning the action against him. Political opportunism? Opposition parties do not question Verma's action of divesting Asthana of his duties at 9 p.m. but they are outraged that CVC passed its order late night.
Verma vs Asthana is only a proxy for the bigger battle that is raging between Congress and BJP. BJP's repeated attempts to 'prove' the 'corrupt deeds' of Congress leaders are checkmated in various institutions by individuals allegedly owing allegiance to Congress. It is no wonder that a politically polarised institution like the CBI is functionally paralysed. What is even more worrisome is the possibility of political balkanisation of even the judiciary. Serial reliefs extended to P.Chidambaram from custodial interrogation is a painful pointer.
There is a view that the Committee in charge of appointment of CBI Director alone could have taken the decision to ask Verma to proceed on leave. It appears that the government did not exercise this option because the government would have been helpless if the CJI and the Congress representative did not favour CVC's proposal.
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