CBI  vs CBI :  Plea to a set of deaf ears

While the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi,  is in a blissful sleep  by dragging his feet in appointing a new CBI Director, the agency is going through a tough situation.     The incumbent interim CBI Director Nageswara Rao continues to wreak havoc on the agency add sources.

Raja Balaji an SP who served under Nageswara Rao in  Chennai has taken up cudgels against Nageswara Rao.   And he is not the first person to raise allegations against Nageswara Rao.  AK Bassi who was investigating the criminal case against Rakesh Asthana was transferred twice within 30 days.   The first job Nageswara Rao took up on the midnight of 24^th October after the midnight coup was transferring AK Bassi to a no man’s land.     This transfer order was rescinded after SC nullified Nageswara Rao’s appointment as CBI Director. After SC intervened and cancelled Nageswara Rao’s appointment, Modi replaced Alok Verma with Nageswara  Rao again.    Kindly read the Scroll report in this regard.

Now a Superintendent of Police has filed a complaint against Nageswara Rao who claims his transfer is vitiated with malafides.   Raja Balaji was working in CBI Chennai Zone’s Special Crime Branch for quite some time.    He crossed swords with Nageswara Rao even when he was working in Chennai Zone of CBI.  In fact, Nageswara Rao instructed him to go soft on the accused persons in a communal murder.  But Raja Balaji put his foot down and refused to toe the line dictated by Rao and issued detailed instructions on how to conduct the investigation.  It is very relevant to note here that the principal accused in this murder case is the District Secretary of BJP.

Raja Balaji, Superintendent of Police was transferred out of SCB, Chennai to Bangalore Banking , Securities and Fraud  Cell and was subsequently transferred to Delhi.  Sources add, Raja Balaji’s mother was under treatment for some ailment.    Nageswaera Rao had recently again transferred out of Delhi to Ghaziabad.    Raja Balaji has now sent a detailed complaint to Nageswara Rao himself in a strongly worded letter.   Excerpts from the complaint are published below.

 “This is the fourth time within a period of around two years that I have been transferred.   My last transfer order was issued in August 1, 2018 in pursuance of a request from myself to the then Director, CBI wide a handwritten request dated June 16, 2018 for a posting in any Branch in New Delhi so as to enable my wife to be better placed to provide care to her mother. 

 It is a known fact in the public  domain that the three member  Committee is to meet on January 24, 2019 to select the next Director, CBI and as a matter of propriety, it was incumbent and necessary in your capacity as only Director In-charge not to go on a spree of mass transfers of various officers from the level of Joint Directors to Addional SPs and resort to any necessary transfer  only on rational grounds that merit such a course in public interest.

 It is a known fact that I had complained about your misconduct to the then Director, CBI letter dated March, 17, 2017 and subsequently when you had served me with a Memo, your misconduct was set out in more explicit terms by me vide letter dated May 2,2017 and now you have abused your official position to service your personal sleepless malice and prejudice against me at the expense of institutional and public interests.   The official post of the Director cannot be used for any purpose other than the institutional and public interests.

 This office order No. 127/2019 dated January, 2018 is plainly irrational because whilst serving as Director-in-charge no review or inspection of the Branches has been carried out to enabler you to know why such mass transfers are necessary and further why mine in particular in any Branch in New Delhi was accorded to me on humanitarian grounds by the then Director vide Order dated August 1, 2018 and in furtherance thereof, government accommodation was also accorded to me by the Hon’ble Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs.

 You know better than me that you are not a man of honour.  I am an eternal optimist about humanitarianism.”

 Sources inside CBI say the revolt by Raja Balaji is just a tip of an iceberg.   CBI is in for a major civil war if Nageswara Rao continues as interim Director add sources.