Central government appointed M Nageswar Rao, Additional Director of CBI as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guard

Nageshwar Rao has been shunted out from the Central Bureau of Investigation and has been appointed as Director General (DG) Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guard, a post earlier offered to former CBI Director Alok Verma.

Interestingly, IPS officer M Nageshwar Rao had replaced his boss Alok Verma on October 23 after a dramatic turns of overnight events when Alok Verma and his deputy — special director Rakesh Asthana — were sent on leave amid an ongoing feud between them.

Alok Verma was removed from the CBI just few days before his retirement by the PM-led appointment committee and was transferred to Fire Services as DG, however, Verma offered his resignation and never took charge of Fire Services. Now, Rao has been given the same position which his former boss was given earlier.

Nageshwar Rao was at the centre of CBI vs CBI controversy as a day after taking charge as interim director, on October 24, he has transferred 13 CBI officers.

These transfers were revoked in January this year by Alok Verma when the Supreme Court reinstated him as CBI director. Verma’s order was however nullified by Rao on January 11 when Verma was once again removed and Rao was appointed as CBI’s interim boss.

On January 21, Rao had again ordered transfers of 13 superintendents of police (SPs)-rank officers and 7 additional SPs (ASPs). Most of the officers also moved before the court and challenged their transfers by Nageshwar Rao. It was alleged that in spite of Supreme Court’s instructions, Rao transferred officials.

Nageshwar Rao, the CBI’s interim boss, was first appointed to the post in October last year when the then CBI Director Alok Verma was asked to go on an indefinite vacation by the Modi government.

The central government’s unprecedented order was issued after the tussle between Verma and CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana took an ugly turn and became public, tarnishing the CBI’s image. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee had accused him of having links with shell companies at a time when CBI tried hard to seek custodial interrogation of the then Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar. Nageshwar Rao’s name also cropped-up in a shady loan case involving his wife’s name and alleged links with a dubious business entity.