On Thursday, Parliament approves the amendment to the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act to provide for appointment of a CBI director in a situation where there is no leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, paving way for naming a new agency chief before incumbent Ranjit Sinha retires Dec 2.
This was passed by Rajya Sabha on Thursday, also provides for inclusion of leader of the single largest opposition party in the three-member committee that selects the CBI Director since there is no recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The Committee has Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India as other members.
The amendment bill, passed by Lok Sabha on Wednesday, also provides that “No appointment of a (CBI) Director shall be invalid merely by reason of any vacancy or absence of a member in the committee.”The clause for doing away with the need for attendance of all the three members of the selection panel for choosing a CBI chief was strongly objected to by Congress, which felt it is aimed at keeping it out of the process.
