india

Updated: Sep 25, 2019 23:11 IST

Satish Dagar, a superintendent of police with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who led the team investigating the FIR against its former special director Rakesh Asthana, has sought voluntary retirement from the agency, according to an official familiar with the development.

A CBI spokesperson confirmed that Dagar, posted in Anti-Corruption 3 unit of the agency, has sought VRS (voluntary retirement from service) on “personal grounds”.

The development can potentially delay the probe in controversial FIR, registered by sacked CBI Director Alok Verma last year against Asthana in which it was alleged that latter took a bribe of Rs 3 crore from Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Sana Babu. Interestingly, Sana Babu was arrested by ED in July this year for money laundering. He got bail in August.

The VRS request from Dagar has come at a time when CBI was supposed to file a status report in the Delhi High Court, which had on May 31 given the agency four months time to finish the probe into the matter.

An official, who did not wish to be named, said that the CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla is yet to accept Dagar’s retirement request. Senior officers have persuaded Dagar to stay on in the agency but the officer has so far refused, said an officer, adding that Dagar feels that he has worked long enough in the agency.

Asthana, currently posted as the chief of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) with additional charge of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), had sought quashing of FIR saying it was “fabricated” by to frame him. Asthana had alleged that Verma was indulging in corruption and was shielding some accused in the CBI. Verma was removed from CBI director post on January 10 this year by a high powered panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) found some substance in allegations of corruption against him.

The fate of this FIR will also seal the future of Asthana as he can only come back only if the agency gives him a clean chit.

Dagar had taken over the probe on October 24, 2018, a day after Verma was sent on forced leave by the government and M Nageswara Rao was appointed as the interim director in the agency. The original Investigating Officerof the case - deputy SP - AK Bassi - was transferred to Port Blair.

Earlier this year, the CBI had claimed that it wanted to send Letter of Rogatories (LRs) - judicial request seeking help in investigation - to some countries while seeking more time to finish the probe.

The official cited above said, Dagar has an experience of 33 years of working in CBI. “Since 1986, Satish Dagar has investigated many sensitive cases in the anti-corruption, economic offences wing, bank securities and fraud cell apart from gathering intelligence. Based on his investigation, Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted by a court in 2017,” said the officer.

Dagar could not be reached for his comments on Wednesday.