The 1983-batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre is at present chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Police Housing Corporation.
Former Madhya Pradesh Police chief Rishi Kumar Shukla was on Saturday appointed CBI director for a fixed tenure of two years, according to an order issued by the personnel ministry.
The 1983-batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre is at present chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Police Housing Corporation.
He succeeds Alok Kumar Verma, who was on January 10 removed from the post. Shukla is a former director general of police of Madhya Pradesh. The former MP Police chief was shunted out by new CM Kamal Nath and is considered close to former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
A panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month ousted Alok Verma as CBI chief, three months after he and his deputy had been suspended following a spat which embarrassed the CBI and led to accusations that the government had damaged the independence of the agency.
The CBI is investigating several high-profile cases, including a $2 billion fraud at Punjab National Bank involving fugitive diamond billionaire Nirav Modi, loan defaults by liquor baron Vijay Mallya, and police firing on anti-Vedanta protesters in south India.
1. Who is Shukla?
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A panel led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last month ousted Alok Verma as CBI chief, three months after he and his deputy had been suspended following a spat which embarrassed the CBI and led to accusations that the government had damaged the independence of the agency.
Currently, he was serving as the chairman of the MP Police Housing Cooperation. A native of Gwalior Rishi K Shukla joined as Additional Superintendent of Police in Raipur in June 1985 and held various posts across MP before joining as ADG in railways and narcotics at police HQ in Bhopal in 2009.
He had served as chairman of MP Police housing corporation from May 2015 before taking over as MP Director General of Police on July 1. He was moved from DGP to MP police housing again.
He will serve as CBI chief for two years.
2. What his colleagues say
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Pradeep Bhatia, who was posted as a Public Relations officer at Police HQ said that while he was recognised as a strict police officer, he was a soft-hearted person willing to not only listen but resolve any problems of his employees.
Meanwhile, activist Nandlal said: “He never hesitates to help poor, weak and needy people. This is the reason that he is recognized as a social worker in many areas. "
3. Seniority can't be only criteria: Kharge
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Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister soon after the appointment was announced, contending that Shukla has no experience of anti-corruption investigations and that "seniority cannot be the only criteria in an appointment to such a critical post."
The Congress leader said the Committee, which met at the Prime Minister's residence on Friday, shortlisted Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, Sudeep Lakhtakia, S Javad Ahmad, A P Maheshwari besides Shukla.
"The committee had decided to shortlist the candidates on the basis of seniority, integrity and total experience in investigation and anti-corruption of 100 months or more," he said.
4. Kharge's dissent note
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Among the shortlisted officers, Bhatnagar, IPS officer of 1983 batch from UP cadre, has 25 months of experience in anti-corruption and total experience of 170 months, followed by Shukla, a 1983 batch officer from MP Cadre, who has no experience in anti-corruption and total experience of 117 months, Kharge said.
Lakhtakia, IPS officer of 1984 batch from Telangana cadre, has 14 months of experience in anti-corruption and 155 months of total experience, Ahmad, officer of 1984 batch from UP cadre, has 160 months of experience in anti-corruption and a total experience of 303 months, while Maheshwari has 14 months of experience in anti-corruption and a total of 147 months of experience.
Kharge, in his letter, said that based on the criteria laid down by DSPE Act and the Supreme Court, he is of the opinion that officers Ahmad, Bhatnagar and Lakhtakia meet the requirements of experience in investigating anti-corruption cases.
"Adding of general Investigative Experience to experience in investigating Anti-Corruption to enhance overall experience has led to the inclusion of candidates who either have no experience or at best very little experience in the investigation of anti-corruption cases," the Congress leader contended.
"Seniority cannot be the only criteria in an appointment to such a critical post and experience in anti-corruption cases and prior experience of having served in the organisation should also be considered seriously," he added.
5. Unfounded: MoS Jitendra Singh opposes Kharge
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MoS PMO, Jitendra Singh said that objections put forth by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge over the appointment of senior IPS officer Rishi Kumar Shukla as new CBI Director are totally “unfounded” and not based on facts.
He also said that Kharge allegedly tried to manipulate the independent assessment based criteria in order to accommodate names of his preference. “I would like to put it very straight that whatever is said by leader of Congress party, Mallikarjun Kharge is totally unfounded and not based on facts,” said Jitendra Singh.
“Kharge is guilty of trying to have manipulated or sort to have manipulated the independent assessment based criteria in order to accommodate names of his preference. Kharge is also violating the norms of probity by selectively and subjectively making interpretation of the meeting held with Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India to the media and in public as per his convenience,” said Singh.
6. SC averse to interim director
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The Supreme Court Friday said it was "averse" to the arrangement of an interim CBI Director and the Centre should "immediately" appoint a regular chief of the probe agency.
The post of CBI Director is "sensitive" and "important", and it is not good to keep an interim director of the agency for longer period, the top court observed, seeking to know as to why the government has not made the appointment yet.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Navin Sinha was told by Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre, that a high-powered Selection Committee headed by the Prime Minister would meet Friday to select a new CBI director.
"We are only saying that you should appoint CBI director immediately. No more of this in-charge business," the bench told the Venugopal, who said the committee is doing it as soon as possible.
The top court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Common Cause challenging the Centre's decision to appoint IPS officer M Nageswara Rao as the interim CBI director.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, told the top court that 40 officers have been transferred from CBI in last two-three weeks.
