

NEW DELHI: Noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Thursday filed a petition on behalf of NGO Common Cause in Supreme Court challenging Centre’s decision to appoint Rakesh Asthana as special director of CBI, alleging that the appointment was done in violation of rules and regulation.

In the petition, Bhushan alleged that Centre appointed Asthana despite objection form CBI Director who reportedly questioned the integrity of the officer. He also alleged that Asthana's name was mentioned in a diary which was seized by Income Tax Department while raiding premises of a corporate house and the “Diary 2011” contains name of senior officers who were bribed by the group.

“ Given that the CBI is investigating the role of Asthana in the said Diary 2011, his appointment to such a high post as the Special Director of CBI itself is bound to create situations where officers junior to him would not be able to conduct a free, fair and fearless probe into his role. Thus, his appointment as the Special Director of CBI would violate the principle of institutional integrity,” the petition said

“As per news reports and as is also apparent from the news conference addressed by the CVC KV Chowdary, there was a difference of opinion between the selection committee and the CBI Director on the issue of integrity of the proposal of the name of Asthana. The CBI director had reportedly put his views in a two page note before the selection committee that ought to have been given the highest regard by the committee and should not have been overruled without there being cogent counter-reasoning for doing the same,” the petition said.

Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Asthana has become the second in command in the Central probe agency after CBI Director Alok Verma. Asthana, a 1984 batch police service officer, headed the state Special Investigation Team that probed the burning of Sabarmati Express in Godhra in February 2002. He was also associated with the probe into the fodder scam in Bihar . He also served as the interim CBI chief after Anil Sinha retired on December 2 last year.

