CBI Vs CBI: Alok Verma meets CVC

New Delhi: CBI Director Alok Verma on Thursday met Central Vigilance Commissioner K V Chowdary and denied corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and special director in the probe agency Rakesh Asthana, officials said.
Verma came to the CVC office in the late afternoon and stayed there for about two hours, they said. He met Chowdary and Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar, the officials said, without giving any other details.
The Supreme Court had on October 26 asked the Central Vigilance Commission to complete within two weeks its inquiry into allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana. Verma and Asthana have been sent on leave by the government. Officials said Asthana also met the CVC. The Commission had recently examined some CBI officials probing crucial cases which figured in Asthana’s complaint of corruption against the probe agency’s chief Verma, they said.
The officials said CBI personnel from the rank of inspector up to superintendent of police were called and their versions recorded before a senior CVC official.
These officials, who had recorded their statements included those who had handled the Moin Qureshi bribery case, the IRCTC scam, involving former railway minister Lalu Prasad, the cattle smuggling case in which a senior BSF officer was caught with wands of cash in Kerala.
The Supreme Court had directed that the CVC’s inquiry into the allegations against Verma. (PTI)