PM to chair high-level meeting tomorrow to select new CBI chief

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level meeting of a collegium that also comprises the Chief Justice of India and leader of opposition in Parliament to decide on a successor to Ranjit Sinha who is retiring as CBI chief tomorrow.

A collegium comprising the Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India HL Dattu and the leader of the largest opposition party or Congress, will meet for the first time ever for bipartisan selection of the next CBI director after Ranjit Sinha, who retires tomorrow.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who leads the Congress in the Lok Sabha, is expected to represent the opposition.

This will be the first appointment of the CBI Director after the Lokpal Act came into being this year. It will also be the first after the Supreme Court recently barred Ranjit Sinha from investigating the 2G spectrum scam, one of the country's biggest financial scandals, over, what it said, trying to scuttle the probe.

The ruling BJP says it had objected to Sinha's appointment when it was in the opposition but was overruled by the previous Manmohan Singh government.

The Parliament last approved a change in rules to allow the largest opposition party to participate in the selection process even if it does not qualify for the post of Leader of Opposition. The Congress, which lost the May national election and won just 44 seats, fell short of the 55 seats needed to make the cut.

Earlier, a committee headed by Central Vigilance Commissioner used to recommend names for CBI director.