CBI's Alok Verma meets CVC, refutes corruption charges

Central Bureau of Investigation director Alok Verma on Thursday met Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary and denied corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and special director in the probe agency Rakesh Asthana, officials said.

Verma came to the CVC office in the late afternoon and stayed there for about two hours, they said.

He met Chowdary and Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar, the officials said, without giving any other details.

The Supreme Court had on October 26 asked the Central Vigilance Commission to complete within two weeks its inquiry into allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana.

Verma and Asthana have been sent on leave by the government.

Officials said Asthana also met the CVC.

The Commission had recently examined some CBI officials probing crucial cases which figured in Asthana’s complaint of corruption against the probe agency’s chief Verma, they said.

The officials said CBI personnel from the rank of inspector up to superintendent of police were called and their versions recorded before a senior CVC official.

These officials, who had recorded their statements included those who had handled the Moin Qureshi bribery case, the IRCTC scam, involving former railway minister Lalu Prasad, the cattle smuggling case in which a senior BSF officer was caught with wands of cash in Kerala.

The Supreme Court had directed that the CVC’s inquiry into the allegations against Verma, who has challenged the government’s decision divesting him of his duties and sending him on leave, would be conducted under the supervision of retired apex court judge Justice A K Patnaik and this was a “one-time exception”.

The feud between Verma and Asthana escalated recently leading to registration of an FIR against the latter and others including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is in CBI custody in an alleged bribery case.

The CBI had on October 15 registered the FIR against Asthana for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Hyderabad-based businessman Sana Sathish Babu which was given through two middlemen Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad to sabotage the probe against meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

On August 24, Asthana, in his complaint to the Cabinet Secretary, had levelled allegations against Verma that he got a bribe of Rs two crore from Sana to help him get some relief from questioning in the matter.