Heena Sharma Blog

The Supreme Court Thursday reserved judgement on the petition moved by CBI Director Alok Verma , challenging the Centre's decision to divest him of all powers and sending him on leave. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi concluded the arguments on behalf of Verma, Centre, Central Vigilance Commission and others who were party in the matter. The court also heard the petition moved by NGO Common Cause which had sought court-monitored SIT probe into allegations of corruption against various CBI officials including Special Director Rakesh Asthana. Read More Business Standard

The Delhi High Court Thursday extended till Nov 14 its order asking the CBI to maintain status quo on proceedings against Special Director Rakesh Asthana , allegedly involved in a bribery case. Both CBI and Asthana opposed in the high court the plea of Additional SP S S Gurm, who has been transferred from Delhi to Jabalpur in the wake of feud between CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma and Asthana, to be heard in the matter. The High Court on October 23 had ordered the CBI to maintain status quo on proceedings against Asthana which was further extended on October 29 till Thursday, November 1. The October 23 order had also made it clear that the agency would not take any coercive step against Asthana. Earlier in the day, the CBI in its reply to Asthana's plea seeking to quash an FIR against him, said that allegations against him and others show cognisable offences. The CBI filed the reply in response to the notice issued to it on the petition filed by Asthana against the l

The CVC might summon CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to record their statements as part of an inquiry being conducted on the Supreme Court's direction, according to the graft watchdog's chief K V Chowdary. The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) initiated the probe following a complaint of corruption against Verma. The commission has got most of the files related to the cases, in whose probe, the charges of alleged interference by Verma came up, Chowdary told reporters on Wednesday on the sidelines of an event here. "We have got most of the files. We are in process of getting some files from the CBI. Nothing much can be said now as the matter is sub judice," he said. He said no summons have been issued either to Verma or Asthana to appear before it in connection with the probe. The CVC had on Tuesday examined some CBI officials probing crucial cases which figured in Asthana's complaint of corruption against th

Congress President Rahul Gandhi Friday courted arrest after staging a protest outside the CBI headquarters in New Delhi against the move to divest CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers and send him on leave. Earlier addressing the gathering Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue. He also accused him of destroying institutions including the CBI, the Election Commission and the Enforcement Directorate. Senior Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel, Motilal Vora, Veerappa Moily and Anand Sharma, took part in the march that culminated in a demonstration ahead of the CBI headquarters. Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, CPI leader D Raja and TMC's Nadimul Haque joined the protest. The Congress' protests in the national capital were replicated in other parts of the country. State Congress leaders led demonstrations in their regions against what the Congress described as the "illegal, unconstitutional and ill