Andamans a good place, stay there: Supreme Court to CBI officer transferred to Port Blair
While hearing the matter of the recent dramatic shakeup of the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Supreme Court gave its stamp of approval to the beauty of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
In Short
- Supreme Court refused to urgently hear AK Bassi's plea against his transfer
- Bassi was sent to Port Blair after CBI director Alok Verma was sent on leave
- Bassi was the officer probing the corruption charges CBI no. 2 Rakesh Asthana
It's official. Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been recognised as a "good" place to be in.
And it is India's top court that has made this recognition.
While hearing the matter of the recent dramatic shakeup of the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Supreme Court gave its stamp of approval to Andaman and Nicobar Islands' beauty.
Today, the court was hearing a plea filed by CBI director Alok Verma, who has challenged a government order sending him on mandatory vacation, when another top CBI officer, AK Bassi, sought to be heard.
Bassi was among the many officers who had been transferred when the CBI underwent a shakeup.
Bassi's lawyer, Rajeev Dhawan, told a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that his client wanted to challenge his transfer order.
"Where have you been transferred?" CJI Gogoi retorted (during hearings, judges often address lawyers as though they are speaking to the client himself).
Port Blair, came the response from Dhawan.
"It is a good place... be there for a few days," came the reply.
The court later said that it would hear Bassi's arguments against his transfer at a later hearing.
CBI VS CBI
In the larger matter, the Supreme Court today examined a investigation report filed by the Central Vigilance Commission. The CVC was investigating allegations of corruption against Alok Verma.
The allegations were made by Verma's deputy, CBI special director Rakesh Asthana. Asthana himself faces accusations of corruption and was named as accused no. 1 in an FIR filed by his own agency against him.
(AK Bassi, the man sent to Port Blair on a transfer, was the CBI officer investigating the charges against Asthana.)
These allegations and counter-allegations between Verma and Asthana were part of a bitter public feud between the top two CBI officers.
The feud forced the government to step in. The government sent both Verma and Asthana on leave, literally overnight and brought in M Nageshwar Rao as the interim CBI chief.
It was then that Verma moved the Supreme Court arguing that the order to send him on forced leave was illegal.
VERMA GETS PROBE REPORT COPY
The Supreme Court agreed to hear the matter and directed the CVC, which was anyway investigating the charges against Verma, to complete the inquiry in two weeks under the supervision of a retired Supreme Court judge.
The CVC did so -- the commission spoke to both Alok Verma and Rakesh Ashtana for this.
It submitted its probe report in the Supreme Court earlier this week and the court examined it today.
The court today said that the probe report did not give Alok Verma a clean chit. The court said that CVC report had some "complimentary" things to say about the charges against Verma while on some other charges, the findings were "very uncomplimentary".
The Supreme Court directed that a copy of the probe report be given to Alok Verma who will be allowed to comment on it before the court next hears the matter.
'NO CHANCE'
The court cautioned against details of the report being public. The court also rejected Rakesh Asthana's demand that he be given a copy of the probe report as well.
Asthana's lawyer Mukul Rohatgi told the court that his client deserved to see the probe report since it was Asthana's complaint that started the probe in the first place.
"No chance. You will not get a copy," CJI Ranjan Gogoi responded simply, rejecting Rohatgi's demand.
"Under what authority have you filed a complaint? You are not entitled to see the report," CJI Gogoi also said, to which Rohatgi responded, "I'm entitled to have an opinion on the report."
"No you're not," came the reply.
READ | CBI vs CBI, blow by blow: How the probe agency got a shake-up while you slept
READ | Chandrababu bars CBI from entering Andhra without permission. Mamata approves
WATCH | When Rahul Gandhi linked CBI controversy to Rafale deal