Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation

Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Verma appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today approved the appointment of Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation.Verma will take over from interim director Rakesh Asthana, who was handed the reins of

the investigating agency after former director Anil Sinha retired on December 2. He'll serve for a period of two years.

His name was cleared by a three-member selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge as members.

Kharge is understood to have recorded his dissent note on Verma's name on the grounds that the officer had never served in CBI, during the meeting of the selection committee held on January 16.

The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved Verma's appointment. Other contenders for the top post included Director General of Indo Tibetan Border Police Krishna Choudhary and Maharashtra's Director General of Police S C Mathur.

Verma, a 1979 batch IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory cadre, was the Director General of Tihar jail before he took charge as the Commissioner of Delhi Police in February last year.

He has served the Delhi Police in number of positions, including Deputy Commissioner of Police (south district), Joint Commissioner of the Crime Branch, Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi Range), Special CP (Intelligence) and Special CP (Vigilance).

He has also served as the Inspector General of Police in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Puducherry.