Rakesh Ashthana may take temporary charge of CBI

NEW DELHI: Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana might succeed CBI director Anil Sinha temporarily when the latter retires on Friday. Asthana is currently additional director in the CBI.
Asthana is believed to be close to both the PM and BJP president Amit Shah. In Gujarat, as IG, Vadodara range, he supervised the initial probe into the Godhra train arson of February 2002.He was also police commissioner of Vadodara and Surat.
However, sources in the home ministry said that there are indications that the Centre may not appoint a full-fledged chief of the CBI anytime soon.
The conjecture is that the 1984 batch Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, an additional director in CBI, might take over from Sinha temporarily. This speculation gained ground especially after R K Dutta, who was serving as Special Director and was considered a possible successor to Sinha, was in a surprise move, shifted to the Home Ministry as Special Secretary.
The CBI Director is selected by a collegium comprising the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition or leader of the largest party in the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.
Home Ministry officials rejected suggestions that Dutta was shunted out of the CBI to facilitate appointment of someone “favoured” as the next Director.
“Dutta will be given the responsibility of (supervising cases) of terror financing and a few other key divisions in the Union home ministry,” a senior official said.