CBI director to be selected on May 24; DGP Loknath Behera shortlisted

New Delhi: A high level meeting will be convened on May 24 under the leadership of the prime minister to select the new director of the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation). Chief Justice N V Ramana and Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also will attend the meeting.

The government handed over the names of officers, including Kerala DGP Loknath Behera, who are considered for the post to the committee members.

Other noted officers in the probable list include CBI acting chief Praveen Sinha, BSF chief Rakesh Asthana, NIA chief YC Modi, CISF chief Subodh Kant Jaiswal, ITBP chief SS Deswal and Uttar Pradesh DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi.

Loknath Behera is 1985 batch Kerala cadre IPS officer. He was first appointed as Alappuzha ASP. Then he also served as Thiruvananthapuram City police deputy commissioner, Kochi police commissioner, IG at police headquarters, ADGP and vigilance director. He also served in NIA and CBI for a long time.

The central government appointed Praveen Sinha as the acting chief of CBI following the retirement of Rishikumar Shukla in February. The government had informed the supreme court that the assembly election in West Bengal and other states was the reason for the delay in selecting the new director of CBI.