Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) strongly objected to the process for selecting the next CBI Director and submitted a formal dissent note during a meeting of the high-powered selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The committee, which also includes Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, met at the Prime Minister’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg. The tenure of current CBI Director Praveen Sood is ending on May 24, 2026.
In his dissent note, Gandhi alleged that the government had turned the selection exercise into a mere formality. He said he was not given a meaningful role in the process.
He also said important documents related to eligible officers, including self-appraisal and 360-degree evaluation reports, were not shared with him in advance.
According to Gandhi, he was expected to go through records of several officers during the meeting itself. He said this made any serious assessment impossible.
He further said that not sharing the documents affected the transparency and fairness of the selection process.
The Congress leader also accused the government of using the CBI against political opponents, journalists and critics. He said the Leader of Opposition was included in the selection committee to prevent “institutional capture” of the agency.
In his note, Gandhi said he could not support what he described as a “biased exercise”. He also said the Leader of Opposition cannot be treated as a “rubber stamp” in the appointment process.
The meeting lasted for more than an hour. Discussions were held on senior IPS officers shortlisted for the top post.
Get Latest Updates