• Source:JND
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The Centre on Wednesday approved a one-year extension for Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood. He will now remain in office until May 2027. This will be his second extension. Sood took charge as CBI Director on May 25, 2023, for an initial two-year term and had already received a one-year extension earlier.

CBI Chief Gets Extension Till 2027

According to an order from the Personnel Ministry, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) cleared the extension after recommendations from the selection committee. The statement read as: “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee, has approved the extension in tenure of Shri Praveen Sood, IPS (KN:86) as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of one year beyond 24.05.2026.”

Rahul Gandhi Filed Strong Dissent

The decision was taken after a meeting of the selection committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. It also included Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. However, after the meeting, Gandhi had reportedly submitted a dissent note, stating that he did not want to be part of a process he described as “biased.”

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According to news agency PTI report, Gandhi, in his dissent note submitted to the prime minister during the meeting, said, “By denying the Selection Committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The leader of opposition is not a rubber stamp. I cannot abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise. I, therefore, dissent in the strongest terms.”

Why Did Gandhi Object?

Gandhi alleged that the government has repeatedly misused the CBI, which is meant to be India’s premier investigative agency, to target political opponents, journalists, and critics. He said that the inclusion of the LoP in the selection committee was intended to prevent such institutional capture, but he was denied any meaningful role in the process.

“It is to prevent such institutional capture that the Leader of Opposition is included in the Selection Committee. Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process…Instead, I was expected to examine the appraisal records of sixty-nine candidates for the first time during the Committee meeting. The 360-degree reports were denied to me outright,” Gandhi said.

He further added that the deliberate denial of information, without any legal basis, makes a “mockery” of the selection process, ensuring that only a pre-decided candidate is selected. Gandhi also referred to his earlier dissent recorded in the meeting held on May 5 last year and a letter written to the Prime Minister on October 21. In both the notes, he had suggested steps for a fair and transparent process.

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