The next hearing will be held on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court bench on Friday headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi received a report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), placed before it in a sealed cover, with regard to the probe into the allegations of corruption against CBI Director Alok Verma.
The bench supplied the report to Alok Verman, seeking his response by Monday. The court will take any further decision after going through CBI Director's response. The next hearing will be on Tuesday, 20th November. Besides Verma, Court directed the copy of the report to be supplied to the Attorney General representing the centre and Solicitor General representing CVC. However, the court did not permit the report to be given to Rakesh Asthana, the complainant against Verma.
The court asked all parties to keep confidentiality of the report in order to preserve sanctity and confidence in the institution, i.e. CBI. For this reason court directed Verma's counsel, senior advocate Fali Nariman to file his response by Monday in a sealed cover.
SC said, '"CVC report is very uncomplimentary on some charges against Alok Verma and on some it says further probe is needed". Mukul Rohatgi, reperesenting Asthana wanted the report to be made puiblic. However SC refuised to do so and gave strict orders that the report shouldn't be made public by either of the parties.
The CVC probe against Verma was supervised by former Supreme Court judge A K Patnaik and the probe was completed on November 10.On October 26, the top court had appointed Justice Patnaik to supervise the ongoing inquiry of CVC against Verma.
The apex court had issued notices to the Centre and the CVC seeking their replies on Verma's petition challenging the government's decision to divest him of his powers as CBI chief and sending him on leave.On October 26, it had also set a deadline of two weeks for the CVC to complete the preliminary inquiry against the CBI director.
Besides, it had barred Rao from taking any major policy decision but granted him liberty to perform routine tasks that are essential to keep the CBI functional.It had said a list of all the decisions taken by Rao since October 23, including decisions with regard to transfer of investigations, change of investigating officer(s) etc, will be furnished to the court in a sealed cover on or before November 12, 2018, whereafter orders as would be appropriate will be passed by the court.
The CVC was directed by the court to conduct an inquiry into the allegations made in the August 24 note/letter of the Cabinet Secretary with regard to Verma.Asthana has also moved the apex court with a separate petition in the matter and has sought removal of Verma from the post of CBI Director.
On November 4, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had moved the top court contending that divesting Verma of his statutory powers and functions is "completely illegal and arbitrary".
In an interlocutory application filed in the pending petition, Kharge, who is also a member of the three-member selection committee which appoints the CBI director, said that "as a concerned stakeholder he brings to the attention of the court the brazen and illegal actions" of the political executive in interfering with the independent functioning of the CBI director.
With PTI inputs
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