CBI director Praveen Sood gets one-year extension

Government on Wednesday extended the tenure of Central Bureau of India (CBI) director Praveen Sood for another year. Sood took over as the CBI director on May 25, 2023, for a two-year term, that will now continue until May 2026.

This extension comes after a meeting of the selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was held on May 5.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), based on the recommendations of the selection committee, approved Praveen Sood's extension.

Who is Praveen Sood

Praveen Sood was born in 1964 in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra and studied civil engineering at IIT Delhi, , according to a PTI news agency report, which mentioned that he later did further studies at IIM Bengaluru and Maxwell School, USA. 

Sood joined the Indian Police Service (IPS) when he was just 22 years old.

Before becoming CBI chief, Praveem Sood was the top police officer in Karnataka. He worked on many big cases. He also helped make police work better by using more technology. In Karnataka, he worked on digital systems like CCTNS and ICJS, which help track crime and share data with courts.

CBI director Praveen Sood has received many awards during his police career for his work.

He was given the Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002, and later received the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2011 — one of the highest honours for a police officer in India, as stated by PIB.

In 1996, he won the Chief Minister’s Gold Medal for excellent service.

Praveen Sood was also praised for his use of technology. In 2011, he received the National e-Governance Gold Award for the most creative use of tech in traffic management. In 2006, he was honoured with the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award for his work in making roads safer and improving traffic systems.