Rakesh Asthana to remain CBI special director, SC dismisses Prashant Bhushan's plea

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea challenging the appointment of Gujarat cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana as special director of the CBI.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO Common Cause, had said that Asthana's appointment was illegal as his name had surfaced in a diary recovered during a raid conducted by the Income Tax department at the offices and other premises of company Sterling Biotech Ltd.

However, the Centre had opposed the plea saying Asthana had an outstanding career and had supervised over 40 high profile cases like coal scam, Kingfisher Airlines, AugustaWestland scam, blackmoney and money laundering cases.

Bhushan had said the diary showed the name of Asthana as having received illegal gratification from a company and the CBI had recently registered an FIR in a money laundering case against the accused firm and some public servants.

Demanding quashing of Asthana's appointment, the petitioner has sought a direction to the Centre to transfer him out of the agency during the pendency of investigation.

While seeking Asthana's ouster, the plea noted the special director was the second in command in the CBI after the director and supervised almost all important cases being handled by the agency. 

Asthana has served as the commissioner of the Police in Vadodara and Surat. He had also examined the case of Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai. The absconding Narayan Sai was caught on the Haryana-Delhi border. 

(With agency inputs)