The Indian government has appointed Praveen Sood as the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sood, a 1988-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, has been serving as the director-general of police (DGP) of Karnataka since August 2019.
Sood has been known for his tough stance on corruption and crime during his tenure as DGP. He has also been credited with successfully handling sensitive cases such as the IMA Ponzi scam and the Bengaluru riots in August 2020.
However, Sood’s appointment as the CBI chief has raised questions about his history with DK Shivakumar, a senior Congress leader from Karnataka. Sood had investigated Shivakumar in a money laundering case in 2017, leading to Shivakumar’s arrest and subsequent release on bail.
Shivakumar had accused Sood of being biased against him and had filed a complaint against him with the Karnataka Lokayukta. The Lokayukta had dismissed the complaint, stating that there was no evidence to suggest that Sood had acted with malice.
Sood’s appointment has also been criticized by the opposition parties, who have accused the government of politicizing the CBI. The Congress party has alleged that Sood’s appointment is a move to target opposition leaders ahead of the upcoming state elections in Karnataka.
However, the government has defended Sood’s appointment, stating that he was selected based on his experience and performance as a police officer. The government has also pointed out that Sood’s investigation into Shivakumar was carried out following due process and that he was not biased against any individual or political party.
Sood’s appointment comes at a time when the CBI is investigating several high-profile cases, including the PNB scam, the AgustaWestland case, and the INX media case. Sood will take over as the CBI chief from Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, who has been appointed as the director-general of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
