Swamy lauds Alok Verma's honesty, criticises Asthana in Chidambaram case

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday vouched for the honesty of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma while sharply criticising special director Rakesh Asthana for not being pro-active in a case involving former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram.

Swamy also asserted that honest officers are being targeted and they were even harassed during the past regime.

"Honest officers are targeted. Alok Verma is an honest officer; he is so particular that he won't even drink water at someone's house so that he doesn't get indebted. Whatever is happening today must be seen in the context that our investigative agencies are on a decline and how honest officials are being treated badly. The environment and intent has changed," he told ANI.

Swamy further alleged that Asthana was delaying the Chidambaram case so much so that he had to write to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention.

"About Asthana, I have been speaking since before. Because in the case of Chidambaram, by the time he came the interrogation was completed. I said that only the filing of charge sheet is left but he said he will do that by September end. I told him that this is a public interest issue and I will raise it in court. He said don't raise it in court and I will do it. He kept delaying it and pushed it to October 2017. I wrote a letter to Prime Minister telling about how this officer is not going to do anything. The Prime Minister gave directions that no one should come in between and proper procedure must be followed. By that time the case was transferred to Alok Verma, he took measures and gave orders for action. When Chidambaram's house was raided, the report that had to be submitted to the court in a sealed envelope was found in his house, in his bedroom," he explained.

Swamy also batted for awarding an extension to the two top officials of the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) and reiterated that these officials are being targeted for being honest.

"I don't know on whom the action shall be taken but I believe that the two directors that we have today at CBI and ED are very honest. They should be given extension after retirement and new officials should be not brought before completion of the cases. They are only being targeted because they are honest," he added.

On September 21, the CBI had filed an FIR against its own Special Director, Rakesh Asthana, in connection with the Moin Qureshi case.

The probe agency arrested Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Kumar in connection with the same case and granted seven days of police custody.