S C Sinha's two competitors have faced serious charges in past.
Ranjit Sinha, the senior-most among other shortlisted officials is a 1974 batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre. He was known for his proximity to Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. In fact, the Patna high court had once passed strictures against him and he was removed from the investigation of the fodder scam.
Neeraj Kumar has faced the charge of "torture in custody" during the investigation of the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai. Kumar has served in the CBI from 1993 to 2002 and has handled a number of cases including organised crimes involving underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, terror-related cases and economic offences.
Atul Gupta, a 1976 batch officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre was the DGP when Akhilesh Yadav came to power. He was dumped to an inconsequential department by Yadav.
Vineet Kumar Gupta, a 1977 batch IPS officer of the Gujarat cadre, is perceived to be anti-Modi in the state. He is retiring this year.
Prakash Mishra, a 1977 batch IPS officer of the Odisha cadre and the DGP of Orissa, is a batch mate of V K Gupta.
Image: NIA chief S C Sinha
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