Amid infighting between its officers, CBI registered 67 cases in January alone

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered 67 cases in the last month alone when the agency was in the news over the infighting involving its two top former officers, according to a written reply given by the government in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The probe agency had filed a total of 765 cases in 2018 as against 940 in 2017, it said.

As many as 925 cases were filed by the CBI in 2016. Up to January 31, this year, the CBI has registered 67 cases, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said.

As per the provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the superintendence over the CBI in respect of investigation of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act cases vests with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

"To perform this statutory role, the CVC conducts regularly monthly review meeting with Director, CBI in which among other things, an in-depth review of the progress of investigation of cases under PC Act is done," the minister said.

Former Madhya Pradesh police chief Rishi Kumar Shukla was on February 2 named the new chief of the CBI, which was working without its regular head following the ouster of Alok Kumar Verma on January 10.

Verma was removed after being engaged in a bitter fight with Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, who was then working as the special director in the probe agency, over corruption charges.

Both Verma and Asthana had accused each other of corruption.