The government on Friday removed CBI Additional Director M Nageswar Rao and posted him as Director General Fire Services, Civil Services and Home Guard.
The government in its order said, "Upon the curtailment of tenure of M. Nageswar Rao, IPS (OD 1986), Additional Director, CBI, by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and placing of his service with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the competent authority has approved his appointment as Director General, Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard by temporarily downgrading the post to the level of Additional Director General (Level-15 of pay matrix), for a combined tenure up to his superannuation on July 31, 2020 or until further orders, whichever is earlier."
Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, was first given charge as interim Director of the CBI after the government in October last year sent CBI Director Alok Verma on leave, divesting him of his powers along with Special Director Rakesh Asthana following a bitter spat between them alleging each other's involvement in corruption.
Rao was again given the charge of the acting CBI chief on February 11, 2019, a day after Verma was removed from the post.
Interestingly Alok Verma was also given charge as Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards after he was removed as CBI Director. Verma had written to the Centre, asking them to consider his retirement from January 11, a day after a high-powered Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with its other two members Justice A.K. Sikri and Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, ousted him as CBI Director in a 2-1 vote. The Home Ministry had rejected Verma's plea that he had sent to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to consider him retired, and asked him to join the new post with immediate effect. Verma, however, had refused to take charge and resigned.
(With IANS inputs)