Meeting tomorrow to decide on new special director of CBI

Notwithstanding opposition from BJP, the process will start tomorrow to appoint a new special director in the CBI with CVC Pradeep Kumar chairing a meeting to consider the names sent by the government.

One name from a panel of IPS officers submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs will be finalised and sent to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet. The names submitted included that of Director General of Police of Odhisa Prakash Mishra, Director General of Police of Kerala KS Balasubramaniam, Chief of Bureau of Police Research and Development Rajan Gupta, the sources said.

While Mishra has a tenure till February 2016, the other two would be retiring by May 2015. Mishra, who has worked in the CBI as well as National Investigating Agency, is among the front runners for the post which had been lying vacant for the past five months after retirement of K Saleem Ali on November 30 last year.

Besides the CVC and Vigilance Commissioner, the meeting will be attended by Home Secretary Anil Goswami, Department of Personnel Secretary SK Sarkar and CBI Director Ranjit Sinha. BJP had questioned the hurry on the part of the Government to fill the senior positions including that of the Special Director in the CBI. "What is the hurry and rationale behind rushing through an important appointment like this in the country's premier investigation agency," BJP had asked.