PM Modi intervenes, summons CBI chief

PM Modi on Monday summoned CBI director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana amid their public fight on bribery and corruption.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a bribery case against Asthana, who had written to the government listing several charges against his boss Alok Verma.

According to reports, on Sunday, the CBI tried to defend Alok Verma following allegations of corruption levelled against him by Rakesh Asthana saying they are "false and malicious".

The CBI has also claimed to analyse nine phone calls immediately after Manoj Prasad, who was the middleman, was arrested in the alleged bribery case against Asthana.

Reports say that Asthana had also alleged that Verma delayed his team’s request to arrest Sathish Sana, a businessman



facing probe on corruption case involving meat exporter, Moin Qureshi.  

According to reports, the CBI has named Asthana as an accused of accepting Rs 2 crore bribe to settle Qureshi’s case. Apart from Asthana, CBI also named RAW number 2 Samat Kumar Goel in the FIR. The FIR was filed on October 15.

Moin Qureshi’s case brings to the fore the divide in the CBI.

Qureshi was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in August last year. According to the agency, he was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and he was not cooperating in the probe.

On Monday, the CBI arrested its Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar in connection with a bribery case involving Rakesh Asthana.