NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday formally recorded his dissent regarding the proceedings to select the next director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He alleged that he was not provided with the self-appraisal reports of the candidates and that the government's choice was therefore pre-decided.
As Leader of Opposition, Gandhi is a member of the three-member committee responsible for appointing the CBI chief, alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The Congress MP shared a screenshot of his dissent letter on his X handle.
Gandhi accused the government of misusing the CBI to target political opponents, journalists, and critics. He highlighted that the inclusion of the Leader of Opposition in the selection committee was intended to prevent such institutional capture. Despite repeated written requests, he was not provided with the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates. Instead, he was expected to examine the appraisal records of 69 candidates for the first time during the committee meeting. A detailed review of these records is crucial to assess each candidate's history and performance. This deliberate denial of information makes a mockery of the selection process and ensures that only the government's pre-decided candidate is selected, Gandhi wrote.
He added that he had recorded his dissent in two previous meetings as well but had yet to receive a response. By denying the selection committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber stamp. I cannot abdicate my responsibility by participating in this biased exercise, Gandhi concluded.
The meeting took place at the Prime Minister's residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg and lasted over an hour. The tenure of the current CBI Director, Praveen Sood, is set to end on May 24. A decision on his successor is expected soon. According to sources, several senior IPS officers from different states are part of the list of officers being considered for the top CBI post. Some of the names understood to be under consideration include Parag Jain, Shatrujeet Kapoor, Yogesh Gupta, GP Singh, and Praveer Ranjan.
