Delhi Police commissioner Alok Kumar Verma, a 1979 batch Indian Police Service officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre, has been appointed the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), an official said on Thursday.Verma was one of the front runners for the CBI director’s post and has been the Delhi Police chief for the last 11 months.
The post of the director of the country’s premier probe agency was vacant for over a month following Anil Sinha’s retirement on December 2. Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana was acting as the interim director of the agency.A three-member committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi selected Verma as the CBI chief. The selection committee had Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Justice of India, or his nominee, as its other members.
A list of about 45 eligible IPS officers was sent to the Prime Minister’s Office for consideration as the next CBI director. The names of senior IPS officers Krishna Choudhary, Aruna Bahuguna and Mathur, among others ,were doing the rounds as strong contenders for the top post.One of the senior most officers in the country today, Verma was earlier the director general of Tihar prisons and the police chief of Mizoram.
He has also served as the joint and special commissioner of the Delhi Police crime branch between August 2007 and December 2008. Verma’s tenure as police chief till now has been without any controversy.Senior police officers say though many Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs have been arrested during Verma’s tenure, the ruling party hasn’t vociferously accused him of working for his political bosses.
His appointment as the CBI director is his 24th posting in his 36-year career as a police officer. Verma is due to retire in July but the government could give him an extension.