New Delhi, October 24: Amid the turmoil within the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the probe agency's director, Alok Verma, has moved the Supreme Court against the order on him being sent on leave. His plea will be heard by the apex court on Friday. Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the lawyer appearing for Alok Verma, told the Supreme Court that the central government in the morning asked Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana to go on leave compromising the investigation into many sensitive cases.

Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been sent on leave amid the ongoing spat between them while M Nageshwar Rao has taken charge as interim director of CBI. While there were reports that Verma and Asthana have been removed, sources in the probe agency quoted by media reports said that the two have not been removed as of now, but have been divested of all powers of supervision. CBI's JD (P) Arun Kumar Sharma, A Sai Manohar, HoZ V Murugesan and DIG Amit Kumar have also been transferred/posted. M Nageshwar Rao Appointed as CBI Interim Director, Top Bosses Alok Verma & Rakesh Asthana Sent on Leave, Delhi HQ Sealed.

Meanwhile, more heads have rolled within the CBI. Deputy SP AK Bassi has been transferred and posted as Deputy SP CBI, ACB Port Blair and Additional SP CBI SS Gum has been transferred and posted as CBI, ACB Jabalpur. CBI DIG Manish Kumar Sinha, DIG Taurn Gauba, DIG Jasbir Singh, DIG Anish Prasad, DIG KR Chaurasia, HoB Ram Gopal and SP Satish Dagar have also been transferred. They were probing the case against CBI's Rakesh Asthana. CBI Names its Special Director Rakesh Asthana as 'Accused No. 1' in Bribery Case Linked to Meat Exporter Moin Qureshi.

The order implies that the government has sidelined all the three additional directors number three in the agency's hierarchy, including A K Sharma, whose name had figured in the complaint by Asthana. These developments have come a day after Verma wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office seeking Asthana’s suspension. Internal Squabble in CBI Shocking: Former Officials

As per reports, the feud between the two top men came to the notice after CBI lodged an FIR against Asthana on a complaint by Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana. Sana, who is also one of the key witnesses in the Moin Qureshi case,  which Ashthana was investigating.

On Monday, the CBI suspended its Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Kumar, held in the bribery case linked to meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Kumar was suspended minutes after the Special CBI Court granted the agency his 7-day custody. Special CBI Judge Santosh Snehi Mann was told by the CBI counsel that the agency has recovered incrementing evidence against Kumar, indicating his role in the forgery racket run by a section of agency officials under the garb of an investigation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 24, 2018 10:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).