Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood appointed new CBI director
Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood has been appointed as the next director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after his name was finalized by a three-member panel led by PM Narendra Modi. The 1986-batch IPS officer od the Karnataka cadre will hold the post for two years. Two other officers, including Madhya Pradesh DGP Sudhir Saxena, were on the shortlist.
Why does this story matter?
- The development comes at a time the CBI is facing criticism for allegedly operating on the instructions of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government.
- Opposition parties led by the Congress also filed a petition in the Supreme Court in March seeking guidelines for central probe agencies, including the CBI.
- It alleged that 95% of cases they are currently investigating are against opposition leaders.
Current CBI Director Subodh Jaiswal's tenure ends on May 25
The outgoing CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal's two-year tenure will end on May 25, which prompted the search for a new chief. Notably, the CBI chief is appointed by a committee comprising the prime minister, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), and the leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha for a two-year term—extendable for up to five years.
Selection process was not smooth as opposition flagged alleged flaws
According to The Indian Express, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) submitted to the panel a list of roughly 115 individuals for the position of the CBI chief. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was the opposition representative on the committee, flagged various flaws in the procedure. He also claimed he had not received the officers' service records, personal information, or integrity documents.
CJI Chandrachud, Chowdhury suggesting changes
Meanwhile, CJI DY Chandrachud reportedly recommended that the list be trimmed based on the officers' experience and seniority, and it was pared down to a dozen names. On the other hand, Chowdhury urged the government also consider women officers and those from minority communities, following which Taj Hassan, director general of Fire Service, Civil Defence, and Home Guards, was named among three shortlisted candidates.
What distinguished Sood from other candidates?
Sood was reportedly seen as the frontrunner for the CBI director's post for allegedly being the BJP's favorite. He hit the headlines in March when Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar accused him of protecting the outgoing BJP government in the state. Shivakumar sought his arrest claiming the Karnataka DGP was filing cases against Congress leaders at the behest of the BJP.
