Mallikarjun Kharge says removal was a 'cover up'

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling the midnight removal of CBI director Alok Verma a serious breach of law and an illegal and serious intrusion into an ongoing investigation.

Referring to the Vineet Narain judgement and section 4A and 4B of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, Kharge said that the Supreme Court clearly underlines that the transfer of an incumbent CBI director in an extraordinary situation should have approval of the selection committee. "The Prime Minister could have easily called a meeting of the selection committee," said Kharge.

In the strongly-worded letter to the PM, Kharge said, "The only plausible explanation for this desperate and hasty move is an attempt to scuttle the ongoing investigations into the cases that might cause embarrassment to your government. It seems less like a 'clean up' as your colleagues are nervously asserting and striking more like a 'cover up'."