Plea in SC challenging appointment of Rakesh Asthana as DG, BCAS

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court Wednesday, challenging the appointment of former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana as Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

The petition, filed by advocate M L Sharma and likely to come up for hearing this week, said the appointment was in contradiction to the law and Asthana be suspended in view of the pending investigation against him.

The Delhi High Court had on January 11 refused to quash the FIR lodged against Asthana on bribery allegations and set a 10-week deadline to complete the investigation.

The government on January 18, however, appointed Asthana as director of the BCAS, India's regulatory authority for civil aviation security.

The petition said Asthana was under investigation for taking bribes within his duty and his appointment is contradictory to the Classification, Control and Appeal (CCA) Rules 1965.

It said: "Instead of suspension within the CCA rule-1965, Asthana has been promoted and appointed as chief of BCAS by during the pendency of the investigation under Delhi High court in a FIR for bribe and corruption in his official duty.

"This has created a serious injury to the judicial and public office systems violating Articles 21 and 14 and destruction of faith in the three constitutional office of the country."