MN Rao as interim chief of CBI: CJI Ranjan Gogoi excuses himself from hearing petition

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has excused himself from hearing the petition challenging the appointment of M Nageshwar Rao + as interim director of CBI.

The CJI said that he cannot hear plea as he would be part of the committee meeting to select the next CBI director.

"Let it be posted before another bench," the chief justice said.

The petition filed by NGO Common Cause and social activist Anjali Bhardwaj, to secure “independence and autonomy” of CBI, sought quashing of the order dated January 10 by which the charge and duties of the CBI Director Alok Verma have been handed over to Nageshwar Rao as an interim measure.

The petitioners claims that the lack of transparency in the appointment of the CBI Director allows the government to exercise “undue influence in the appointment process” specially at the stage of short-listing of candidates.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Selection Committee is expected to meet on January 24 to decide on the name of the new agency chief.

The leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and CJI Ranjan Gogoi are the other two members of the committee.

IPS officer M Nageshwar Rao was named as the interim director of the CBI following Alok Verma's removal by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-headed selection committee earlier this month.