Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said forcing CBI director Alok Verma to go on indefinite leave was "illegal" and alleged that it was done as the government panicked over the possibility of him investigating the Rafale jet deal.

Addressing a press conference here, he claimed that Verma's removal was an "insult" to the Constitution, the chief justice of India and the leader of the opposition.

The move was "illegal", the Congress chief said.

GANASHAKTI: The Left parties will organise a public hearing on the Rafale deal in the national capital Wednesday with a view to take forward their demand for a probe by the joint parliamentary committee in the issue.

Legal, policy experts and Left leaders will speak on the matter and the public will also participate in the deliberations, according to Left leaders.

CPI leader D Raja said the Left parties will raise the demand for a JPC probe into the alleged scam in the Rafale fighter jet deal and will evolve their strategy to take on the government on the issue.

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) Opposition parties Wednesday slammed the government for CBI Director Alok Verma's removal amid an escalating feud between him and his deputy Rakesh Asthana, with the Congress dubbing it the "last nail" in the agency's independence and the CPI(M) calling it illegal.

Adding its voice to the debate, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asked the reasons for sending the CBI director on leave.

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) The CBI has overhauled the team probing allegations of corruption against its former Special Director Rakesh Asthana, bringing in completely new faces, officials said Wednesday.

There have been changes from the investigation officer to supervisory levels, they said.

M Nageswar Rao, a 1986-batch Odisha cadre IPS officer, who took over the duties and functions of CBI director late last night, appointed Satish Dagar as Superintendent of Police to probe the case, they said.

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) BJP MP Subramanian Swamy claimed Wednesday that those involved in the "CBI massacre" were about to suspend Enforcement Directorate (ED) official Rajeshwar Singh and said if it happened, he would withdraw himself from the corruption cases he had filed.

"The players in the CBI massacre are about to suspend ED's Rajeshwar so that he cannot file the chargesheet against PC. If so I will have no reason to fight the corrupt since my govt is hell bent on protecting them. I shall then withdraw from all the corruption cases I have filed," he said in a tweet.

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) Opposition leader Sharad Yadav Wednesday hit out at the government over CBI Director Alok Verma's removal, saying it is "constitutionally, morally and politically wrong and illegal".

He said in a statement that the decision was in violation of rules laid down by the Supreme Court that only a selection commission, comprising the prime minister, the chief justice of India and the leader of the largest opposition party can decide on suspending or removing the CBI chief.

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) A 36-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping his five-year-old niece in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh, police said Wednesday.

The incident was reported to police Tuesday and a case registered, they said.

They said the accused was arrested the same day.

New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of removing CBI Director Alok Verma in a bid to stop him from investigating the Rafale "scam".

He also alleged that the prime minister "broke the law" and "bypassed" the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition, who were part of the panel that selected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief.

There was no immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on the allegations.

New delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) CBI Director Alok Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana have been "divested of all powers" amid an ongoing spat between them, sources said, calling it the first such case in the history of the agency.

As an interim measure, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given charge of the CBI to Joint Director M Nageswar Rao, an Odisha-cadre officer, with immediate effect, a government order said.

New Delhi, Oct 23; PTI: The Supreme Court Tuesday permitted the sale and manufacture of low emission "green" firecrackers countrywide and fixed a two-hour time period from 8 pm to 10 pm for bursting them on Diwali and other festivals.

A bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan also restrained e-commerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon from selling firecrackers which were beyond the permissible limit.

The apex court's order came on a plea seeking a ban on manufacture and sale of firecrackers across the country to curb air pollution.