Former CBI chief AP Singh

The government has accepted the resignation of Amar Pratap Singh from the Union Public Service Commission or UPSC. Mr Singh resigned a few days ago, four years before the completion of his term.His resignation has been sent to President Pranab Mukherjee, said sources. But the reason of his resignation is not known.Before being appointed for a five-year term at the UPSC, Mr Singh was the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation from 2010 to 2012. He got the appointment to UPSC in 2013.At the time, the BJP, which was the main Opposition party, had opposed his appointment and accused then Congress-led UPA government of offering post-retirement appointments to CBI directors as an incentive.The former CBI director has been accused of having been "in contact" with meat exporter Moin Qureshi, a Kanpur-based politically well-connected businessman, who is being investigated by the Income Tax department.On October 17, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had told the Supreme Court that the alleged exchanges between Mr Singh and Mr Quereshi were wholly unbecoming of the office he held (as the CBI Director)".Sources close to Mr Singh, however, said he resigned in response to a CBI court's recent verdict on the fake encounter case against BJP president Amit Shah.The court had accepted Mr Shah's argument that he was "involved in the case by the CBI for political reasons".

Sources said Mr Singh felt the verdict raised doubts about him, as Mr Shah had been arrested by the CBI in connection with the case during his tenure as the director.