Alok Kumar Verma was on Thursday shunted out as the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation following a meeting of the Select Committee headed by PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi: In an unprecedented twist to the CBI versus CBI fight, the Central Bureau of Investigation director was shunted out as the agency boss on Thursday evening. The development came shortly after a high-powered panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the second time to take a call on Verma’s fate.

Reacting to the development, senior lawyer Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, one of the petitioners in the Rafale deal case, dubbed this as a desperate move by the Narendra Modi government.

Bhushan alleged Verma, who was reinstated as the CBI director only on Tuesday by the Supreme Court, has been transferred out of the CBI as he was likely to file an FIR against PM ‘Modi in the Rafale scam’.

“Breaking! So, a day after he resumed charge as CBI Director, the Committee headed by Modi again transfers out Alok Verma post haste, w/o even hearing him, fearing the prospect of his registering an FIR against Modi in the Rafale scam! Such desperation to prevent any investigation,” Bhushan wrote on Twitter.

Earlier in the day, the senior lawyer had tweeted to hit out at PM Modi, “So Modi who is the main accused in our Rafale complaint to the CBI Director, is presiding over meetings of committee of PM, LOP&CJI &is seeking to use order of tainted CVC to oust restored CBI Director Verma,to prevent him from acting on our complaint against himself! Wah Modiji.”

​“Govt has called a meeting of the Committee of PM, LOP & CJI today itself to seek CBI Chief Verma's removal (who was restored by SC yesterday). CJI has deputed Justice Sikri for the meeting. Astounding desperation of Govt to prevent FIR by Verma on our Rafale complaint,” another of his tweet read.

The Select Committee headed by PM Modi met again on Thursday after its meeting yesterday remained inconclusive. The other members of the Committee are Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and Justice AK Sikri, who was nominated by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to represent him on the panel.

On Tuesday, while reinstating Verma as CBI chief by quashing the Central Vigilance Commission’s October 23, 2018 order sending him on leave along with special director Rakesh Asthana, the Supreme Court had asked the government to convene the Select Committee’s meeting within a week of its order.