CBI vs CBI: Alok Verma to depose before CVC, refutes corruption charges levelled by Rakesh Asthana

New Delhi: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) enquiry committee will hear Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Alok Verma on Friday, after the meeting was postponed from Thursday, due to the non-availability of one of the vigilance commissioners. As per a report from Hindustan Times, the meeting was postponed after Verma refused to be examined as one of the vigilance commissioners, TM Bhasin, was not present in the office. Verma had on Thursday met Central Vigilance Commissioner KV Chowdary, and denied the corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and CBI special director Rakesh Asthana. He met Chowdary and Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar, officials said. [caption id=“attachment_5519801” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of CBI Director Alok Verma. News18[/caption] Sources told The Indian Express that Verma appeared without any lawyer for the inquiry. Earlier this week, he had submitted his replies to a questionnaire from the CVC for the enquiry. Officials said Asthana also met the CVC. The Supreme Court had on 26 October asked the CVC 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. The commission had recently examined some CBI officials probing crucial cases which figured in Asthana’s corruption charges against  Verma, they said. The officials said CBI personnel from the rank of inspector up to the 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 Yadav, 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 AK Patnaik and that this was a “one-time exception”. The feud between Verma and Asthana escalated recently leading to the 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 15 October registered the FIR against Asthana for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs two 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 24 August, 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. With inputs from PTI