Alok Verma: CVC Probe Finds No Proof That CBI Chief Took Bribes, Say Sources

Alok Verma was accused by his deputy Rakesh Asthana of taking bribes (File).

Highlights

Top two CBI officials accused each other of corruption, sent on leave
CVC probe finds no evidence of corruption against Verma, say sources
Probe may have found administrative lapses against him, say sources

New Delhi: The Central Vigilance Commission has found no evidence of corruption by exiled CBI director Alok Verma, as alleged by his deputy Rakesh Asthana, sources have told NDTV a day before the Supreme Court takes up the vigilance inquiry report. Sources say the top vigilance body has found no evidence of any money transaction, which means Alok Verma may have been cleared of the main allegation of bribe-taking. The vigilance body has, however, found proof of "administrative lapses" on his part, say sources.

Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:

The Supreme Court will take up the vigilance commission's report on its inquiry into allegations against Alok Verma tomorrow.
The court had asked the top vigilance body to wrap up its investigation within two weeks, under the supervision of a retired judge. The vigilance body had to apologise for submitting its report a day late, on Monday.
The CBI chief deposed before the vigilance panel. The investigators also heard Rakesh Asthana, who had written to the government and the vigilance chief accusing his boss of taking bribe from a businessman on the CBI's radar.
Mr Asthana had also accused the CBI director of not sharing crucial intelligence inputs against two industrialists with other agencies, and missing the name of a senior railway official from the FIR filed in the railway hotel scam involving Lalu Yadav's family.
Alok Verma also accused Mr Asthana of taking bribe from the same businessman and launched an investigation against the special director.
The unprecedented rift within the country's top investigating agency was exposed when Alok Verma's team filed a case against Mr Asthana, who in turn wrote to the Cabinet Secretary and the Vigilance chief listing allegations against the CBI chief.
As the opposition seized on the turmoil within the CBI, its top two were sent on compulsory leave on October 23.
Alok Verma, whose functions were taken over by an interim chief after the dramatic post-midnight government order sending him on leave, went to the Supreme Court.
The opposition alleges that the government is targeting Mr Verma for his willingness to look into the allegations surrounding the Rafale jet deal. It also says the government is trying to protect Mr Asthana, an officer from Gujarat. Congress president Rahul Gandhi called him "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's blue-eyed boy" in a tweet.
The vigilance commission has also submitted in court its report decisions by M Nageshwar Rao, who, after taking charge as interim CBI chief around 2 am on October 24, signed off on the transfer of nearly a dozen officers seen to be in Alok Verma's team. One of the officers, AK Bassi, has challenged in the Supreme Court his transfer to the Andamans.