Delhi Police commissioner Alok Kumar Verma has been named as the director of CBI.
With Delhi Police commissioner Alok Kumar Verma named as the director of CBI, senior IPS officers like Deepak Mishra, Amulya Patnaik and Dharmender Kumar have emerged as the top candidates for the highest post of the force.
Mr Verma had taken over last year in February as the police chief after B S Bassi's retirement.
Deepak Mishra and Dharmender Kumar- who have emerged as the front-runners for the post - are currently posted as additional director general in the CRPF and CISF respectively.
Mr Mishra and Mr Kumar, both 1984-batch officers, were in Delhi Police at the time Mr Bassi was its chief but after his retirement, they went on central deputation.
The third contender, Patnaik, is currently posted as Special Commissioner of Police (Administration).
Both Mr Kumar and Mr Mishra had emerged as the top contenders for the top post after Mr Bassi's retirement but Alok Kumar Verma, a 1979-batch IPS officer, was chosen owing to his seniority.
Citing its sources news agency Press Trust of India said that Mr Mishra has a slight edge over the others because of diverse responsibilities he discharged while he was posted in Delhi Police.
Mr Mishra was holding the post of special commissioner of police (law and order), the second most important post after police commissioner during Bassi's tenure.
Mr Kumar was special commissioner of police (Special Unit) during Bassi's tenure.
Both Mr Mishra and Mr Kumar were made senior special commissioners, a post created by Mr Bassi during his tenure, that was later scrapped.
Mr Verma, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre, took over as Delhi Police Commissioner on February 29, 2016.
59-year-old Mr Verma, who belongs to Delhi, has worked in various positions in Delhi Police, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Mizoram and in the Intelligence Bureau.
Before being appointed as Delhi Police Commissioner, he was Director General of Tihar Prisons in New Delhi.