Alok Verma quits service a day after being shunted out as CBI Director

A day after being shunted out as CBI Director, senior IPS officer Alok Verma resigned from service on Friday, saying "natural justice" had been scuttled.

The 1979 batch officer sent his resignation to Home Minister Rajnath Singh after refusing to take charge of the post of Director General of Fire Services assigned to him.

Verma, who was Delhi Police Commissioner previously, had a two-year tenure as CBI Director till January 31 this year. Otherwise, he would have retired from service in July 2017 when he attained the age of 60.

The decision to remove Verma was taken on Thursday by the Selection Committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge. Chief Justice of India is also a member of the Committee but at today's meeting, he was represented by Justice A K Sikri, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court.

The Committee was of the view that being the head of a very sensitive organisation, Verma, who is facing corruption charges, was "not functioning with the integrity expected of him," according to sources.

In a letter to Chandramouli C, Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training, Verma said, "Natural justice was scuttled and the entire process was turned upside down in ensuring that the undersigned is removed from the post of the Director CBI."

He said the Selection Committee "did not consider the fact that the entire CVC report is premised on charges alluded by a complainant who is presently under investigation by the CBI. It may be noted that the CVC only forwarded a purportedly signed statement of the complainant, and the complainant never came before Hon'ble Justice (Rtd.) AK Patnaik (supervising the inquiry). Also, Justice Patnaik has concluded that the findings/conclusions of the report are not his."

"Institutions are one of the strongest and most visible symbols of our democracy and it is no exaggeration that the CBI is one of the most important organistaions in India today. The decisions made yesterday will not just be a reflection on my functioning but will become a testimony on how the CBI as an institution will be treated by any government through the CVC, who is appointed by majority members of the ruling government. This is a moment for collective introspection, to state the least," Verma said in the letter.

In the letter, Verma said he has already crossed his superannuation age for DG Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards.

Verma was posted as DG, Fire Services, Civil Defence, and Home Guards, two days after he was reinstated as the CBI Director by the Supreme Court. His reinstatement had come about two-and-a-half months after being divested of his powers and sent on leave by the government.

"Also it may be noted that I have already superannuated as on July 31, 2017 and was only serving the Government as Director, CBI till January 31, 2019, as the same was a same fixed tenure role. The undersigned (Alok Verma) is no longer Director, CBI and has already crossed his superannuation age for DG Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards. Accordingly, the undersigned (Alok Verma) may be deemed as superannuated with effect from today," Verma concluded.