New Delhi: Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood was on Sunday appointed the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of two years by the high-powered selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He will take charge on May 25 after incumbent CBI chief Subodh Kumar Jaiswal completes his tenure. Sood was to retire in 2024.
A 1986-batch IPS officer, he was appointed Karnataka DGP in January 2020, superseding 1985-batch IPS officer Ashit Mohan Prasad. This appointment is being seen as a move to protect Sood with Congress back in power in Karnataka.
Calling him “nalayak” (useless) and accusing him of being an agent of the ruling BJP, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar in March vowed action against the DGP once his party is voted to power. “Let our government come. We will take action against him. Congress had also written to ECI to remove him. Immediately, a case should be registered against him and he should be arrested,” he said.
Around 25 cases were registered against Congress leaders and none against BJP leaders while Sood was heading the Karnataka Police, he alleged and added that action would be taken against all police officers who were working unethically to protect the BJP government.
The Saturday meeting, which finalised his name, also saw Leader of Opposition (Congress) Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury submitting a dissent note against Sood’s candidature as he was not among the original panel of officers short-listed for the top CBI job. A source told The Hindu that his name was included at the last minute.
Chowdhury also alleged that he had not received the service records, personal details and integrity documents of the officers on the list, reported The Indian Express.
A graduate from IIT Delhi, Sood started his career in Mysore as Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1989. He later served as Superintendent of Police, Bellary and Raichur, deputy commissioner of police (law and order) and additional commissioner of police (traffic) in Bengaluru City, and commissioner of police of Mysore City.
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