New Delhi: CBI officer Satish Dagar, is was probing the corruption case against the agency’s former special director Rakesh Asthana, has applied for voluntary retirement (VRS), an official said Wednesday.
“Satish Dagar, SP, CBI has submitted application for voluntary retirement on personal grounds,” CBI’s spokesperson told reporters.
The CBI last year October 15 had registered an FIR against Rakesh Asthana for allegedly taking a bribe from an accused probed by him in return of ensuring relief and a clean chit in the case. Asthana has strongly refuted these allegations.
The then CBI director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave by the Centre through a midnight order October 23 as both levelled allegations of corruption against each other.
Dagar was brought in to probe the case by M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, who took over the duties and functions of CBI director October 23, 2018 in dramatic midnight change in agency’s leadership made by Centre. The case was earlier being probed by Superintendent of Police AK Bassi who was transferred to Port Blair by Rao.
Satish Dagar is understood to have sent his letter seeking voluntary retirement last month, sources said. Senior officials have made efforts to persuade him to reconsider his decision but he has so far refused, they said.
After taking over, M Nageswar Rao had overhauled the team probing allegations of corruption against Asthana, bringing in completely new faces.
While Dagar, who had earlier probed cases against Dera Sachcha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, was deputed as investigation officer, his first supervisor was Deputy Inspector General Tarun Gauba, who investigated the Vyapam cases, while overall in-charge at Joint Director-level was V Murugesan.
The fate of corruption case is crucial for the return of Asthana, a Gujarat cadre IPS of 1984-batch who is heading Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Narcotics Control Bureau, in the CBI where CVC clearance will be mandatory, sources said.
PTI
