Govt mulls extension for CBI director Sood
A long list of possible candidates were sent to Gandhi before the meeting, according to a Congress functionary. An official added that a few names were prominently discussed in the meeting that was held at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Union government is considering giving an extension to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Praveen Sood after a high-powered committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna, and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi couldn’t reach a consensus on Monday, people aware of developments said.
The lack of consensus might mean that Sood, who took over on May 25, 2023, could get an extension of up to one year, the people cited above said.
A long list of possible candidates were sent to Gandhi before the meeting, according to a Congress functionary. An official added that a few names were prominently discussed in the meeting that was held at the Prime Minister’s Office. Gandhi didn’t agree to any of the names, said a functionary.
According to a second senior functionary, the participants agreed to give an extension to Sood.
Sood, an 1986-batch IPS officer, has served CBI in various positions for the past 37 years. A CBI chief can get a maximum of five years in office.
According to the Congress functionary, Gandhi opposed some of the names that came up during the meeting. It was not clear if Gandhi was going to give a dissent note.
After becoming the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in 2024, this was Gandhi’s first meeting with the PM and the CJI for selecting the CBI chief. A few months ago, Gandhi and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge had met the PM to select the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.
The meeting was also the first one between the PM, Gandhi and the CJI since the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. A senior leader close to Gandhi did not rule out the possibility of the LoP unilaterally raising the topic during the meeting.
Sood, an officer of the Karnataka cadre, was director general of police (DGP) of the state prior to his appointment. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who was the Congress’s floor leader at the time, objected to Sood’s name for CBI chief post and demanded a fresh selection of candidates
