The three-member panel on Alok Verma was headed by PM Narendra Modi.
Highlights
- Release CVC report so "public can draw its own conclusion". Mr Kharge
- He said members took a decision based on report that now stands disowned
- Further said govt seemed to be worried, in hurry to dispose Alok Verma
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to bring in the public domain key documents related to sacked CBI chief Alok Verma, including the Central Vigilance Commission report and the details of the Selection Committee meeting on January 10 that led to the controversial ouster.
"The actions of the government... indicate that it is scared of having the CBI headed by an independent director," said the Congress parliamentarian, saying the government should "come clean" by releasing these reports so the "public can draw its own conclusion".
Mallikarjun Kharge represented the opposition in the three-member Selection Committee, in which the votes of PM Modi and Justice AK Sikri decided Alok Verma's removal as Director of the CBI or Central Bureau of Investigation.
Mr Kharge had put up a dissenting note in which he cited the Vigilance report, which said there was no evidence of the main corruption allegations against Alok Verma. That is the report he wants to be made public, along with one by Justice AK Patnaik, who monitored the vigilance probe.
"Despite my best efforts to convince the members of the committee that we should be following the due process of law and the principles of natural justice, the members chose to take a decision based on the report that now stands disowned by Justice Patnaik," Mr Kharge has said in his letter to PM Modi.
The Congress leader said the media had widely reported that Justice Patnaik had said "there was no evidence of corruption against Verma" and "what the CVC says cannot be the final work" and termed the action of the committee "very, very hasty".
"Such huge embarrassment could have been avoided if the committee had decided to independently examine the report of the CVC, the report of Justice Patnaik, the submissions of Alok Verma in his defence and draw its own conclusions before reaching a decision," said Mr Kharge.
He said it was unfortunate that the "manipulative actions of the government" were directly responsible for causing "deep embarrassment to the judiciary", adding that a member of the judiciary had been forced to defend the decision.
The government, alleged the Congress leader, seemed to be worried about something and in a tearing hurry to dispose a man from his office. "An irrational decision was taken to transfer Alok Verma as Director General Fire Services even after his superannuation."
Mr Kharge said both Mr Verma's removal and the appointment of an interim CBI chief were illegal.
He said the government must call an immediate meeting of the Selection Committee to appoint a director without delay.
Read Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to PM Modi: