NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphatically rejected the BJP's demand that the appointment of Ranjit Sinha as the next CBI chief be put on hold, saying the "question of keeping the new appointment in abeyance does not arise".
Singh also dismissed the BJP's allegation that the appointment was made to preempt the procedure recommended by the select committee looking into the Lokpal bill, saying the charge was "wholly unwarranted and devoid of any merit".
"I also refute the suggestion that the appointments to this post in the past by the UPA government were motivated by collateral considerations," the PM said in his reply to leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. Earlier on Friday, Jaitley and his counterpart in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj had written to the PM asking that the appointment be put on hold.
Singh argued that the CBI director was retiring on November 30 and the premier investigating agency could not be left headless till the time the new system was put in place. "Under the circumstances, the government has, in public interest, made the appointment in accordance with the provisions of the CVC Act as presently applicable and the extant procedures, which had been set in motion much earlier," he said.
The PM was reacting to the BJP's demand that the new CBI director should be appointed by a collegium comprising the PM, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha and Chief Justice of India as recommended by the select committee.
Earlier in the day, minister of state for personnel V Narayanasamy strongly defended the government's decision, saying the selection of the CBI chief was done "in a fair manner following the due process".
He said Sinha was the senior-most officer among the three names suggested by the central vigilance commissioner and the prime minister decided his name. "The prime minister in his wisdom considered Ranjit Sinha who is the senior-most officer. The prime minister decided the name of Sinha in a fair manner following the due process in which CVC recommended three names. Where is the question of unfairness in this," he added.
"May be they (select committee) have proposed a new mechanism. That's not part of the law today. There is no Act in Parliament today. There is no notification of an Act today. The government must function in accordance with the law as it exists. And that's how we move forward," Narayanasamy said.
Echoing Narayanasamy's comments, telecom minister Kapil Sibal said, "The government decision-making cannot stop just because there is some legislation awaited... This means, the logic would be any standing committee report which has to be translated into a legislation, such time the translation takes, there should be no decision of the government. I do not see any logic in any of this."
Meanwhile, Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar, who had filed a petition in the Central Administrative Tribunal against his non-inclusion in the shortlist, withdrew his plea amid indications that he may be considered for an extended tenure as Delhi Police chief beyond July 2013 when he is supposed to retire.
Sources indicated that the home ministry may consider making the Delhi Police chief a fixed two-year tenure post as per a Supreme Court order. "If it happens before July next year, Neeraj Kumar will automatically get an extended tenure till June 2014," said a source.
No question of putting CBI chief's appointment on hold: PM Manmohan Singh
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No question of putting CBI chief's appointment on hold: PM Manmohan Singh
