Maharashtra cadre IPS Subodh Jaiswal is new CBI Director

The government on Tuesday appointed CISF chief Subodh Kumar Jaiswal as the new Director of CBI. Jaiswal was chosen from a list of three officers that the PM-led Selection Committee had arrived at following a meeting on Monday.

A government order issued through the Department of Personnel and Training on Tuesday said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has, “based on the panel recommended by the (Selection) Committee, approved the appointment of Shri Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, IPS (MH: 1985) as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the office or until further orders whichever is earlier.”

Subodh Jaiswal is the new CBI director. @IndianExpress pic.twitter.com/UHStviOfuC

— Deeptiman Tiwary (@DeeptimanTY) May 25, 2021

The PM-led committee — with CJI NV Ramana and Leader of Opposition Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary — had on Monday selected Jaiswal, SSB chief KR Chandra and Special Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs VSK Kaumudi, as the three officers to choose from for the government.

During the meeting, Ramana is learnt to have cited the Supreme Court order in Prakash Singh case of 2019 that no officer with less than six months to retirement should be considered for the post of a police chief. Ramana is learnt to have insisted that this rule be followed for the CBI director as well. Following this, Chandra, Jaiswal and Kaumudi were found to be the only three centrally empanelled DGs eligible for the CBI post, who had more than six months to retirement.

A 1985 batch IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is also the seniormost among the shortlisted officers for the post of CBI Director. Jaiswal, who is currently the chief of the Central Industrial Security Force, was earlier the Mumbai CP and Maharashtra DG before coming on central deputation earlier this year.

Jaiswal has had long stints in the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing, even though he has no experience of serving in the CBI. While posted in his state, however, Jaiswal had investigated the famous Telgi scam which was later taken over by the CBI. At that time, Jaiswal was heading the State Reserve Police Force. He later joined the Maharashtra ATS and then went on to serve the Research and Analysis Wing for almost a decade.

He returned to the state under the Devendra Fadnavis government and was appointed Mumbai CP in June 2018. He later became Maharashtra DGP. It was under his supervision that the Elgaar Parishad and Bhima Koregaon violence cases were investigated before being transferred to the CBI.

Early this year, Jaiswal was appointed CISF DG after the state government put his name in the offer list for central deputation.

During his stint as Maharashtra DGP, there were reports of several disagreements between him and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, led by Shiv Sena, on how the police department should be run. It is learnt that on many transfer orders of IPS officers issued by the government, the DGP was not on the same page.

Though Jaiswal has no prior CBI experience or of state vigilance department, his appointment is in line with at least the last two appointments in the premier anti-corruption agency where this norm was overlooked. Both Alok Verma and RK Shukla had no prior experience in the CBI before being appointed the agency’s directors.