CBI reshuffles team probing Asthana case, order issued in 'public interest'

New Delhi: The CBI has overhauled the team probing allegations of corruption against its former Special Director Rakesh Asthana, bringing in completely new faces, officials said Wednesday. Changes have been effected from the investigation officer to the supervisory level, they said. 

M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, who took over the duties and functions of CBI director late last night, appointed Satish Dagar as superintendent of police to probe the case, they said. 

Dagar has earlier probed cases against Dera Sachcha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim. His first supervisor will be Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Tarun Gauba, who investigated the Vyapam cases. 

At the joint director-level, V Murugesan has been brought in. He will hold additional charge as joint director, Anti Corruption-I, in the CBI headquarters. The Supreme Court had reposed faith in Murugesan in the coal scam probe, officials said. 

The previous investigating officer, Deputy SP A K Bassi, has been shunted to Port Blair in “public interest” with “immediate effect”, they said. 

Asthana had alleged in his complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission that Bassi was carrying out “roving inquiries” against him on the directions of Alok Verma, the CBI director who has been divested of all powers by the government along with him. 

In another order, the CBI transferred Joint Director-Policy Arun Kumar Sharma and posted him as joint director of the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), probing former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case. 

Senior officer, A Sai Manohar, has been transferred and posted as joint director Chandigarh zone while Amit Kumar, DIG Economic Offence-III, will hold additional charge of joint director-policy.