Former CBI Director Alok Verma has been dropped from the list of speakers at the Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) Students’ Union Business Conclave 2019, officials said.
An invitation was sent to him on January 9, a day after he was reinstated as the director of the probe agency by the Supreme Court, with a request to speak during the event on Thursday, they said.
The next day, a high-powered committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice A.K. Sikri and Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge decided to transfer him from the post of CBI Director in a split decision, with Mr. Kharge giving a strong dissent note to the committee.
No response from Verma
Efforts to reach Mr. Verma did not fructify but his aides said he was intimated about the decision to drop him as a speaker.
The permission did not come from the college authorities so he would not be attending the event tomorrow, an official said on condition of anonymity.
The invitation was sent to him on January 9 but that was before his ‘resignation’, the official said.
Asked whether a clearance was sought from the college authorities before inviting Mr. Verma, the official said it was taken.
When reached for comments, SRCC principal Simrit Kaur said she was not aware of the invitation and the subsequent development.