KV ChaudharyAfter the Congress, the CPM on Monday demanded the removal of Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chaudhary and an inquiry into the manner in which he dealt with the allegations against former CBI Director Alok Verma. The party said that the decision to remove Verma was an “arbitrary and shocking step”.
The CPM said the Central Vigilance Commission seems to be weak on substantive proof about the allegations against Verma, who was removed by the PM-headed panel last week on the basis of the CVC report.
“The CVC report is based on the allegations made by CBI officer, Rakesh Asthana. Asthana’s plea before the Delhi High Court to vacate ongoing investigations on allegations against him has been rejected and the court has directed that the enquiry be conducted within a timeframe. Clearly, Rakesh Asthana has been found by the judiciary as facing prima facie charges,” the CPM Politburo said in a statement.
The CPM also referred to Justice (retd) A K Patnaik’s statement that the CVC inquiry found no evidence of corruption against Verma and also the fact that Verma had, in his formal submission to Justice Patnaik, deposed that CVC Chowdary had paid a visit to his residence on October 6 as an “arbitrator” for Asthana.
“…All these facts show that the decision of the PM-led committee to remove Verma, violating the principle of natural justice by denying him the right to defend himself, is biased,” it said.
