CVC starts probe against CBI chief Alok Verma after complaint by colleague

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has initiated a fact-finding probe against CBI Director Alok Verma based on a complaint filed by his second-in-command, Special Director Rakesh Asthana, a report in The Economic Times said.

In his complaint, Asthana, who heads a special investigation team, alleged that Verma has sought to impede his functioning, interfere in investigations and malign his reputation on the basis of unverified facts. 

Asthana also claimed that Verma had asked him to call off the planned raids against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad in Patna last year at the eleventh hour when raiding teams were already in place. Asthana apparently stood his ground and continued with the raids.

The CBI is investigating the allegations that Lalu Prasad, as railway minister, handed over the maintenance of two hotels run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a subsidiary of the Indian Railways, in Ranchi and Puri to Sujata Hotels, a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar, in return for a prime plot of three acres in Patna through a benami company.

According to the ET report, the Asthana's complaint against Verma was first made to the government, which then referred the matter to the CVC after detailed consultations.

The CVC, as per due process, has initiated the preliminary exercise of examining facts of the allegations mentioned in the complaint and whether they are sound enough to launch any formal inquiry. If not, sources said, the matter can even be dismissed at this stage after prima facie examination, the report said.

According to the ET report, the CVC has already got in touch with the CBI and is examining the merits of the complaint.

Asthana is probing high-profile cases such as the Kingfisher and AgustaWestland investigations, among others. 

The report also quoted sources close to Verma, who dismissed the allegations as a "pack of lies". 

The two senior-most CBI officials have had a series of differences over the past year.