Arvind Kejriwal: Hope CBI's institutional integrity will be upheld

New Delhi, Oct 26 Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday welcomed the "intervention" by the Supreme Court in the turmoil at the CBI and trusted the institutional integrity of the investigating agency will be upheld.

His response came after the Supreme Court asked the Central Vigilance Commission to finish inside about fourteen days its investigation into claims against CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma and banned break chief M Nageswara Rao from taking any major policy decision.

"Welcome intervention by the hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the CBI matter.

"In the interests of the nation, hope that institutional integrity of CBI will be upheld & powers that be will understand that their illegal acts won't go un-challanged (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

The court said the inquiry will be conducted under the supervision of a former Supreme Court judge.

Hearing Verma's request testing the government's decision to divest him of his obligations and send him on leave, the court looked for a reaction from the CVC and the Centre.

The feud between Verma and his deputy, CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, escalated this week prompting enlistment of a FIR against Asthana and others including Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar, who is in the CBI custody in an alleged bribery case.

The FIR was held up on a composed protestation of Satish Babu Sana on October 15. It affirmed that Kumar, the investigation officer in a case, was over and over calling him to the CBI office to bother and constrain him to pay a pay off of Rs 5 crore to give him clean chit.

Asthana and Kumar both challenged the FIR in the Delhi High Court, which on Tuesday requested CBI to keep up the norm on the criminal procedures against Asthana.

The Centre, the CVC and the DoPT interceded and chose to send the CBI Director and the Special Director on leave.