With the tenure of incumbent Praveen Sood, a 1986-batch Karnataka cadre IPS officer, set to end on May 24, 2026, the process to appoint the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has gathered momentum in New Delhi.
A high-powered selection committee meeting is likely to be held on May 12 to finalise the appointment of the next CBI Director. The committee, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, includes Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
According to sources familiar with the development, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has almost finalised the list of senior IPS officers to be considered by the high-powered committee.
Among the officers being discussed prominently for the post are Parag Jain, a 1989-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer currently serving as chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW); Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, a 1990-batch Haryana cadre IPS officer serving as Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP); G P Singh, a 1991-batch IPS officer serving as DG, CRPF; and Yogesh Gupta, a 1993-batch Kerala cadre IPS officer currently serving as DGP, Fire and Rescue Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards in Kerala.
However, bureaucratic circles believe the Modi government may once again spring a surprise in selecting the next CBI chief. Still, the names most actively being discussed are Parag Jain, Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor and Yogesh Gupta.
The possibility of extension for incumbent CBI Director Praveen Sood has also not been completely ruled out. Administrative circles point out that the government had earlier extended the tenure of an incumbent when the high-powered committee could not arrive at a consensus on a successor’s name.
Praveen Sood had taken charge as CBI Director on May 24, 2023. The post carries a fixed tenure of two years as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Get Latest Updates