The incident comes just a day after Verma was divested of all charges following an unprecedented feud with agency's special director Rakesh Asthana. The two men have been sent on leave and an interim director, M Nageshwar Rao, has been made to take charge with immediate effect. Calling the government’s action an “illegal interference,” Verma said it “not only erodes the independence of the institution but also the morale of its officers.”

In the wake of the unprecedented internal feud between CBI Director and Rakesh Asthana, the security outside the CBI headquarters in New Delhi was beefed up. The infighting in the agency had reached the top court on Wednesday which agreed to hear on 26 October the former's plea assailing the Centre's decision to divest him of duties and sending him on leave.

The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it would consider according urgent hearing to a PIL seeking court-monitored SIT probe into allegations of corruption against various CBI officials, including Rakesh Asthana, who was divested of his responsibilities as the agency's special director. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi considered the submission of lawyer Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO 'Common Cause' that there were wider issues of corruption affecting the probe agency and the PIL needed to be heard urgently.

The players in the CBI massacre are about to suspend ED’s Rajeshwar so that he cannot file the chargesheet against PC. If so I will have no reason to fight the corrupt since my govt is hell bent on protecting them. I shall then withdraw from all the corruption cases I have filed.

Reacting to the CBI vs CBI row, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy expressed apprehensions that the BJP government may try and protect P Chidambaram. "A gang of four persons is working against PM Modi. Our party's image is being hurt. Nirav Modi, Choksi and Mallya escaped. How can we fight against corruption if this continues? I am still supporter of PM. He is still the best. But his aides are working against him," he said.

A late-night order on Tuesday from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who were at loggerheads, on leave. Besides sending Verma and Asthana on leave, the government also transferred several CBI officials and appointed M Nageswar Rao as the interim chief of the agency. Verma moved the Supreme Court Wednesday challenging the government's decision after which it agreed to hear his plea on Friday.

The Congress on Thursday attacked the Centre after four 'suspected' Intelligence Bureau men were nabbed from outside the residence of Alok Verma, the CBI director who was sent on leave a day ago, saying the 'IB is heading the CBI way'. "After making CBI as 'Central Burial of Investigation', the (Narendra) Modi government now stoops to a 'new low' -- Snooping on 'forcibly removed' CBI Director through IB," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said. "Let everyone be forewarned — IB is heading the CBI way!" Surjewala tweeted. According to sources, the four 'suspected' IB men were nabbed by Verma's personal security guards on Thursday.

"It is true that CVC has the right to supervise but he doesn’t have the right to transfer or remove the director. Section 4(A) and 4(B) clearly state how committee constitutes or transfers director. They didn’t even consult us as a courtesy and took this decision overnight. Perhaps, they couldn't sleep," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said after CBI top boss Alok Verma was removed from post.

Delhi Court Extends Custody of Middleman in Bribery Case Against Asthana | A Delhi court on Thursday extended by five days the CBI custody of Manoj Prasad, arrested in connection with bribery allegations involving the agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana, PTI reported. Special CBI judge Santosh Snehi Mann allowed the plea of the agency after it sought custodial interrogation of middleman Prasad. The CBI had registered an FIR against Asthana and his Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar lodged on a written complaint of businessman Sathish Sana. Besides Asthana and Kumar, middlemen Prasad and Somesh Prasad have also been named as accused in the case.

The Congress chief went on to say that the CBI director cannot be removed by the Prime Minister of India. He alleged that the PM was involved in corruption over the Rafale deal. He added that the PM took the decision out of fear as he was involved in corruption over the Rafale deal.

CBI vs CBI LIVE Updates: Congress president Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the Narendra Modi government for divesting CBI director Alok Verma of his powers as he questioned why was the action taken at 2am. Gandhi, addressing a press conference, alleged that the Prime Minister panicked because Verma was set to probe the controversial Rafale deal and removed him from his post in the garb of cleaning up the investigative agency.The Congress president said that the action was taken in the dead of the night so that Verma's office could be sealed and incriminating documents on the Rafale fighter jet deal could be destroyed.

After making CBI as ‘Central Burial of Investigation’, Modi Govt now stoops to a ‘new low’ - Snooping on ‘forcibly removed’ CBI Director through IB.



Let everyone be forewarned -

IB is heading the CBI way!https://t.co/4BqSXwCJo7 — Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) October 25, 2018

The CBI, on the other hand, has denied reports that Verma had ordered a preliminary inquiry into the Rafale deal, which has been used by the opposition to target the Narendra Modi government. An agency spokesperson said "false media reports are being manufactured for some vested purposes". Every document and file in CBI is accounted for at each level, the spokesperson added.The Indian Express had received a 132-page complaint against alleged irregularities in the Rafale fighter deal with France and had ordered an inquiry when he was shunted out after the internal war with his second-in-command Rakesh Asthana. The opposition, led by Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, has alleged that Verma was removed in the middle of the night because he was scared the agency was about to start probing the Rafale deal.Reacting on the CBI vs CBI row, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday also slammed the government for its 'overnight decision' and said that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue."They were perhaps dreaming of Rafale scam and of their friends who have escaped the country with loans. That's why they took this decision overnight," the senior Congress leader said during a press conference. Earlier in the day, Congress had attacked the Centre after four 'suspected' Intelligence Bureau men were nabbed from outside the residence of Alok Verma, the CBI director who was sent on leave a day ago, saying the 'IB is heading the CBI way'.The men were intercepted sitting in two cars waiting outside Verma's CBI House residence on Janpath since late on Wednesday. They have been identified as Dhiraj Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Prashant and Vineet Kumar Gupta. The men say that they are from the Intelligence Bureau. The men were subsequently handed over to the police.Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the Centre is now 'snooping' on CBI Director through the IB.The incident comes just a day after Verma was divested of all charges following an unprecedented feud with agency's special director Rakesh Asthana. The two men have been sent on leave and an interim director, M Nageshwar Rao, has been made to take charge with immediate effect.Calling the government’s action an “illegal interference,” Verma said it “not only erodes the independence of the institution but also the morale of its officers.”