[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]T[/dropcap]he Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)’s response to activist Vineet Narain’s ‘Kalchakra’ exposes the fact that the controversial officer Sanjiv Gautam’s appointment in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) is illegal. DoPT, the administrative ministry of CBI said that they don’t have records of mandatory Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) approval for the posting of the officer to CBI from Indian Revenue Service.
Gautam is a 1995 batch IRS Officer (Custom & Central Excise) and was Private Secretary to Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in UPA-2.
Noted activist Vineet Narain’s ‘Kalchakra’ publication has sought the details of Gautam’s posting in CBI, when the officer met with controversy in the suicide investigation of Corporate Affairs Ministry officer BK Bansal.
“The information asked for is not available in the records of this Section,” said DoPT directing the application to CBI to provide, if they have such papers on CVC approval on Gautam’s appointment in the organization. DoPT also directed CBI to provide details if any to the petitioner Rajneesh Kapur, Managing Editor of Kalchakra directly. RTI reply provided by DoPT is attached at the end of this article.
Gautam is a 1995 batch IRS Officer (Custom & Central Excise) and was Private Secretary to Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in UPA-2. Jitendra Singh is a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and was Minister of State in the coveted Home and Defence portfolios.
[dropcap color=”#008040″ boxed=”yes” boxed_radius=”8px” class=”” id=””]A[/dropcap]fter the Lok Sabha election results, Gautam applied to CBI on May 21, 2014 and the then Director Ranjit Sinha approved his posting on May 27. Ranjit Sinha took the decision within six days when there was a transition in the government. May 16 the election results came and new government was sworn in on May 26th evening. Sanjiv Gautam’s appointment approved by Ranjit Sinha is published in the end of this report.
Here the question is how a UPA-2 Minister’s Private Secretary was given a sensitive post such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau head by the BJP led NDA government.
Gautam was first posted in CBI’s Chandigarh unit and in August 2015, he was transferred as DIG in CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Delhi. Bansal, who was arrested for bribe, accused Gautam in his suicide note for torturing him and his family members. Bansal also accused that Gautam used to claim he was close with BJP President Amit Shah. But fact of the matter is Gautam was Private Secretary to Rahul Gandhi’s trusted man Jitendra Singh.
Here the question is how a UPA-2 Minister’s Private Secretary was given a sensitive post such as the Anti-Corruption Bureau head by the BJP led NDA government. How was this appointment cleared without CVC approval?
As per Supreme Court’s judgment in Vineet Narain case, all posts from the Superintendent of Police (SP) level in the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) should be approved by the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). The CVC committee which gives approval consists of Home Secretary, DoPT Secretary and Revenue Secretary. Two years back, Supreme Court had quashed Archana Ramasundaram’s appointment in CBI as Additional Director on Narain’s petition as there was no CVC approval. Vineet Narain is expected to take up Gautam’s “Illegal” appointment with Supreme Court in the coming days.
RTI reply on CVC permission:
Appointment of Sanjiv Gautam:
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Sir , How can a notoripus person be appointed to a sensitive post ? Should not the CVC be brought up to date with the data? i wish i was 30 years younger today.