Gujarat cadre IPS officer Praveen Sinha appointed acting CBI chief

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 3

The government on Wednesday appointed Praveen Sinha, a 1988-batch Gujarat cadre IPS, as the acting chief of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) till a decision on a new director is taken to succeed Rishi Kumar Shukla who retired on Wednesday after a two-year fixed stint.

Sinha is currently posted as Additional Director in the CBI.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its nod for Sinha’s appointment, an order issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) said.

In the order the DoPT said, Sinha “will look after the duties of the director with immediate effect till the appointment of a new CBI chief or until further orders, whichever is earlier”.

Shukla, a 1983-batch IPS officer, completed his two-year stint in the agency which was marked by Indian victory in London courts allowing extradition of fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya and India clinching the hosting of General Assembly of Interpol in 2022, coinciding with the 75th year of Independence.

The soft-spoken Madhya Pradesh cadre officer allowed anyone with a grievance in the agency to walk into his office on Fridays, a trend he started in the CBI.

During his tenure, the agency caught some notorious paedophiles in the country for running international racket of producing and selling child sexual abuse material on dark web.

The CBI director is chosen by a high-powered committee of the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.