Absolutely essential to restore CBI's institutional integrity and credibility: Jaitley
New Delhi, Oct 24: The government's decision to remove CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana is based on the CVC's recommendations, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Wednesday, asserting that it was absolutely essential to restore the agency's institutional integrity and credibility.
The Central Vigilance Commission made its recommendations last evening, he said.
Jaitley told reporters that allegations by the top two officers of the country's premier investigation agency led to a "bizarre and unfortunate" situation.
A Special Investigation Team will probe the charges and both persons will "sit out" as an interim measure, he added. It is an extraordinary situation, and the accused cannot be allowed to be in charge of investigation against them, the minister said.
He also dismissed as "rubbish" allegations of opposition parties, including the Congress, that Verma was removed because he wanted to look into the Rafale fighter jet deal.
In a swipe at them, Jaitley said their allegations indicate they had access to what was going in the mind of the officer concerned, an apparent reference to Verma.
That itself demolishes the integrity of the person they are trying to support, he said.
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Andhra leaders mourn tragic demise of film producer R B Choudary
Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, his deputy Pawan Kalyan and YSRCP chief Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday expressed shock and grief over the passing of prominent film producer R B Choudary.
Choudary died in a road accident in Rajasthan on Tuesday.
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu expressed anguish over the death of Super Good Films head R B Choudary, said an official press release late on Tuesday.
The CM said Choudary had provided opportunities to several actors in over 90 films made in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi languages.
Conveying his sympathies to the family members of the deceased producer, the CM termed his death an "irreparable loss" to the film industry.
Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan remarked that the news of the tragic accident left him stunned.
"I cannot believe the news that Choudary met with a fatal road accident in Rajasthan. I pray to God that his soul attains peace," he said.
Former Chief Minister and YSRCP leader Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed grief over the untimely demise of Choudary.
He recalled that Choudary had earned a distinguished place in both the Telugu and Tamil film industries through his contributions as a producer.
Reddy prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
