Three candidates shortlisted for CBI Director's post; Karnataka DGP frontrunner

Three senior IPS officers have been shortlisted for the position of CBI Director by a high-level committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha  Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the news agency PTI reported on Sunday.

This meeting was held at the prime minister's residence on Saturday evening. "The committee met and has sent three names to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, which will select one of them for the post," Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told PTI.

During the meeting, the names of senior IPS officers from Karnataka, Delhi, and other states were discussed. Praveen Sood, Director General of Police (DGP), Karnataka; Sudhir Kumar Saxena, DGP, Madhya Pradesh; and Taj Hassan, Director General, Fire Service, Civil Defence, and Home Guards are the shortlisted names which have been sent to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

The current CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal's fixed tenure of two years is coming to an end on May 25.

According to the report, Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood, an IPS officer from the state cadre and a member of the 1986 batch, is the front-runner for the position.  

However, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury submitted a detailed dissent note opposing Sood's candidature on the grounds that he was not part of the pool of IPS officers eligible to serve at the DGP level at the Centre.

On May 26, 2021, former Mumbai Police Commission Jaiswal, an IPS officer from the Maharashtra cadre and a member of the 1985 batch, assumed command of the CBI.

The CBI Director is selected by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, CJI, and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha for a two-year fixed tenure. The tenure can be extended up to five years. During the meeting, the possible candidates for appointment as new Central Vigilance Commissioner and member Lok Pal were also discussed, according to PTI.

(With PTI inputs)