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<ul><li><keyword id="344501" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rakesh-Asthana">Rakesh Asthana</keyword>, the special director of the <keyword id="6354889" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="central-bureau-of-investigation">Central Bureau of Investigation</keyword> (<keyword id="6354572" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="CBI">CBI</keyword>), made a <keyword id="1472146" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="deposition">deposition</keyword> to the Cabinet Secretary last week about the rift between him and <keyword id="276608" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alok-Verma">Alok Verma</keyword>, the director of the agency. </li><li>Verma opposed Asthana’s appointment to the No.2 position at the CBI over concerns that he was a person of interest in an investigation into the money laundering practices of Sterling Biotech. </li><li>The rift reached breaking point last month when Verma, who was overseas, declined to give Asthana the power to represent him at a meeting of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).</li></ul>Last week, the conflict between Alok Verma, the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’s main investigation agency, and his deputy, special director Rakesh Asthana, escalated yet again. The latter was instructed to inform <keyword id="1706029" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pradeep-Kumar-Sinha">Pradeep Kumar Sinha</keyword>, the Cabinet Secretary, of the details of the rift and the progress of certain cases. The official deposition, which followed an order from the Prime Minister’s Office, came amid complaints that the rift between the two was holding up the CBI’s investigation of a number of politically sensitive cases such as the Vijay Mallya wilful defaulter case and the 2G spectrum allocation issue. But what exactly are the reasons for this rift? The primary reason has to do with the appointment of Asthana, a former IPS officer from Gujarat, as the agency’s special director in October 2017. A petition was filed by Common Cause, an NGO, against the appointment, citing his close relations with a firm, Sterling Biotech Ltd, that was the subject of an investigation by the Income Tax Department and CBI for money laundering. Asthana was said to be a person of interest in the case, with suspicion that he had received bribes from the company. However, the Supreme Court subsequently cleared Asthana’s appointment the following month. It bears mentioning that the central government had also defended Asthana’s appointment, given his track record of heading up a number of important <keyword id="72743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="investigations">investigations</keyword> such as the Godhra riots issue and the AgustaWestland scam. Verma was said to be opposed to Asthana’s appointment, and had reportedly raised objections about the same issue. Concurrently, Asthana was gradually stripped of his responsibility in leading a number of important investigations. However, he made his voice heard on a number of issues, and opposed Verma’s appointment of two senior officials - RP Upadhyay and Rajeev Krishna- who were subsequently disqualified in May by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) , a government body to address corruption and vet appointments to the CBI. The rift reached breaking point last month. Given that Verma was on a work trip overseas, he missed a meeting of the CVC on July 12th. However, straying from protocol, he did not give Asthana the power to represent him. The meeting was for the induction of certain IPS officers to replace the officials that had been removed from consideration against Verma’s wishes. The CBI told the CVC that Asthana did not have the power to represent Verma since he was under investigation. Now what? The Cabinet Secretary is expected to mediate the conflict. Asthana is said to be a favourite of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, so it seems likely that he will maintain his position at the CBI. At this point, the institutional integrity of the agency has already been compromised. The government will try and prevent the rift from getting further out of hand and hope for a speedy resolution. A number of cases are in the process of being investigated, and given that this is an election year, the resolution of at least a few of them will be necessary.

Here’s why the top two officials of India’s main investigative agency are fighting with each other

Jaipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday gave a stern message to the neighbouring countries, saying "no force in the world can stop our brave soldiers from protecting the country's border". "They give a fierce reply if anybody tries to judge their capabilities," said Modi. While noting some historical facts, the Prime Minister said, "The history of the world tells us that only those nations have remained safe, only those nations have moved forward, which had the ability to fight the invaders". The Prime Minister, however, did not take the name of any country, but his indication was almost clear towards China, whose <keyword id="367283" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="People-Liberation-Army">People Liberation Army</keyword> (<keyword id="43746" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PLA">PLA</keyword>) recently indulged in a deadly clash with the Indian soldiers in the Ladakh region. "No force in the world can stop our brave soldiers from protecting the country's border," the Prime Minister said while addressing <keyword id="10273814" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-armed-forces-on-the">the Armed Forces on the</keyword> Rajasthan border on the occasion of Diwali. "No matter how far international cooperation has come, the equations may have changed, but we can never forget that vigilance is the way to safety, awareness is the support of happiness." Modi made it clear that India's current strategy believes in the policy of understanding and explaining. "Today, India's strategy is clear. Today's India believes in the policy of understanding and explaining, but if anybody tries to judge our capabilities, we equally give a fierce answer." The Prime Minister said the world is knowing this fact very well in the current scenario that India is not going to "compromise its interests even at any cost". "This status of India, this stature is due to your (Indian Army) power and your might. You have secured the country, that's why India today speaks vigorously on the global forums." The Prime Minister mentions that the whole world is troubled by the expansionist forces presently, saying "expansionism is, in a way, a mental disorder and reflects eighteenth-century thinking." He said, "India is also becoming a strong voice against this thinking". The Prime Minister said that India is proud of its Armed Forces, who protect our nation courageously. Modi said that 130 crore countrymen of India are standing firm with its Army today and saluting its valour. "Today every Indian is proud of the strength and bravery of his soldiers. They are proud of your invincibility." "Your austerity and the sacrifice at the border create trust in the country. Your determination strengthens the belief that any big challenge can be overcome together," the Prime Minister said. "Be it the highlands of the Himalayas, the expanse of the desert, the dense forest or the depth of the sea, your valour is always heavy on every challenge." The Prime Minister lauded the recent decision of the <keyword id="112134" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Armed-Forces">Indian Armed Forces</keyword> for not importing more than 100 weapons and equipment from abroad, saying "this decision of the army has also inspired the countrymen to be vocal for the local". On the occasion, Modi also appealed to youth to build defence related equipment and materials for the Indian Army. "In recent times, many start-ups have come forward to cater to the needs of the forces. New startups of youth in the defence sector will take the country further in terms of self-reliance." Modi was addressing the forces at Longewala, the Thar desert of Rajasthan. It is originally a <keyword id="2546345" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BSF-post">BSF Post</keyword> and a strategic point en-route to capturing vast tracts of land and also a pivotal theatre of war in engaging India on the western front during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. He reached Rajasthan's Jaisalmer border to celebrate Diwali with the Forces in the morning, in continuation of his set tradition since he took over as the Prime Minister of India in 2014. Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, Army Chief M.M. Naravane and Border Security Force (BSF) Director General Rakesh Asthana accompanied the Prime Minister at the border during his visit to celebrate Diwali with the army men. Like every year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is celebrating this Diwali also with the soldiers. He will distribute sweets and share their problems and listen to their views during his visit to Jaisalmer later in the day. About 100 BSF troops along with the army men are participating in the celebrations. Last year, the Prime Minister had visited Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district to celebrate Diwali with the men guarding the Line of Control (LoC). Modi was at the border positions of Uttarakhand to celebrate Diwali with the forces in 2018. He visited the Gurez sector of north Kashmir in 2017 and spent his Diwali with soldiers deployed there.

No force in world can stop Indian soldiers from protecting border: Modi

<ul><li>Panaki Chandra Ghose was just appointed as the chairman of India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal. </li><li>The Lokpal will look into incidents of corruption within the Indian government. </li><li>But the scope of its investigation is limited since it’s not allowed to investigate cases related to foreign affairs, space and defence.</li></ul>India’s first chairman of the Lokpal or anti-corruption ombudsman, Pinaki Chandra Ghose, is going to have his hands full as he takes on his new role. He’s already served as a former Supreme Court judge and is currently a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Corruption has been a burgeoning topic in India — especially with Modi’s recent #chowkidar campaign on Twitter — but there’s little to suggest to actual on-ground improvement. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), India’s score only improved by one point between 2017 and 2018. In fact, the global watchdog pegs India as one of the worst <a href="https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018">offenders</a> in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s <a href="https://www.prsindia.org/media/articles-by-prs-team/lokpal-act-3095">unclear</a> whether the Lokpal will be looking into petty corruption or big-ticket corruption as its primary mandate. Deterring the problem from both ends is important in a country like India where, on the one hand, more than 62% of Indians have paid off a public official for a job and, on the other hand, you have the big-ticket scams like the allocation of funds during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. To probe or not to probe? While finally having a Lokpal in place might be good for the general public, one of sectors most vulnerable to corruption — is aerospace and defense and one that the ombudsman can’t touch. According to an Ernst and Young report, aerospace and defence is perceived to be the third most vulnerable sector to corruption. This means that incidents like the Rafale Deal or the BOFORS case — some of the most contentious armed deals in the country — won’t come under the Lokpal’s purview. But, on the other hand, the 2G spectrum case or ‘Coalgate’ — where the allocation of resources came into question — would be incidents that the Lokpal would look into. One of the more recent corruption allegations were actually within India’s Central Bureau of Investigation where Alok Verma, the CBI director and his deputy, Rakesh Asthana both accused the other of being corrupt. Both were, subsequently, asked to resign from their posts at the bureau. The investigation is still pending and several other senior officers have also been put on ‘indefinite leave’ until the matter is sorted. And corruption isn’t limited to India’s borders either. According to the ‘Export Corruption Report’ by Transparency International, India among four countries that has ‘little or no enforcement’ in place to check against against foreign bribery. But, then again, the Lokpal is restricted from looking into incidents of corruption when it comes to foreign affairs. India already has the Central Vigilance Commission to address governmental corruption but even though it’s an autonomous body, it’s not an investigative agency. And, the Prevention of Corruption Act is which aimed at combating corruption in the government has largely been misused due to Section 13(1)d, which allowed honest officials to be prosecuted serving as deterrent to bold decision making.

Here’s what India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman is up against

(Image source- Reuters) The rumours had been swirling for the past few months. The governor was on his way out. The Reserve Bank of India (<keyword id="30067" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="RBI">RBI</keyword>) and India’s central government, aiming for a big play before general elections next year, had been at loggerheads over a number of things: the RBI’s surplus reserves, credit to small businesses, the stringency of the Prompt Corrective Action framework, the governance of state-owned banks and special funding for non-banking financial lenders. Caught in the crossfire were the governor of the central bank, <keyword id="6375119" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="urjit-patel">Urjit Patel</keyword>, and his deputy, <keyword id="6374379" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="viral-acharya">Viral Acharya</keyword>. The latter was more <a href="https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/amidst-battle-on-three-fronts-rbis-acharya-puts-the-spotlight-on-central-bank-independence">outspoken</a> about the threats to the RBI’s independence when it came to making decisions about the economy. Meanwhile, the former maintained a dignified silence that characterised his two-year tenure, which commenced shortly before the <keyword id="6354642" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Modi">Modi</keyword> administration’s demonetisation initiative in November 2016. When Patel announced his resignation yesterday, citing the obvious “personal reasons,” it took everyone by surprise, not least of all India’s <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/finance/jaitley-was-told-of-urjit-patel-s-decision-to-quit-only-minutes-in-advance-118121001081_1.html">Finance Minister</a>. After a compromise of sorts was reached between the two parties last month, it was widely expected that he would stay on as the head of India’s central bank. It wasn’t to be. The announcement is timely, as it came a day before the results of elections in five states were unveiled, with the ruling party expected to face a number of upsets. It is also significant, as it lays to rest the debate over the Modi administration’s propensity to wield undue pressure and influence over the country’s institutions and regulators. The independence of a central bank is sacrosanct in a democratic country. Patel felt it was in his best interest to resign rather than implement decisions that would hurt India’s economy. His resignation, as viewed by his predecessor <keyword id="6358908" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="raghuram-rajan">Raghuram Rajan</keyword>, is an <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/expert-view/urjit-patels-resignation-should-be-seen-as-a-note-of-protest-raghuram-rajan/articleshow/67027008.cms">“act of protest”</a>. From the Election Commission to the Supreme Court to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Modi administration has made its presence felt across most of the country’s statutory institutions. It has systematically undermined them in order to achieve its own aims - a charge it routinely levelled on the previous administration - and has decided against fostering a political environment that encourages disagreement. In a heartening sign, however, the pushback has been evident, whether its four SC judges holding a press conference to declare a conflict of interest over the Chief Justice’s allocation of cases or the CBI Director Alok Verma deciding to take special director Rakesh Asthana, a favoured pick of the current administration, off certain politically sensitive investigations. As it searches for Mr Patel’s successor over the next few weeks, the government will have to weather the financial fallout of such a move and could be forced to give in to the RBI’s demands. Moody’s, a ratings agency, has termed the government’s attempts at interference as <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/business/Economy/curbing-rbi-freedom-is-credit-negative/article25712901.ece">“credit negative”</a>. Markets will be roiled and investors will be wary as uncertainty over the RBI’s short-term mandate persists. Acharya is expected to stay on, which will instill a measure of confidence. As the Modi administration deals with a loss of public faith, it now has the gargantuan task of proving that it can respect the decision-making capacity of these bodies, especially one that is responsible for ensuring India’s financial stability. Thankfully, everyone will be watching closely. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/reserve-bank-of-india-governor-urjit-patel-resigns-citing-personal-reasons/articleshow/67026294.cms">Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel resigns citing ‘personal reasons’</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/after-weeks-of-tension-the-reserve-bank-of-india-gives-in-to-some-of-the-central-governments-demands-while-retaining-its-independence/articleshow/66705908.cms">After weeks of tension, the Reserve Bank of India gives in to some of the central government's demands while retaining its independence</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-spat-between-indias-central-bank-and-the-government-gets-more-heated-as-the-finance-minister-blames-it-for-not-doing-enough-to-prevent-the-countrys-bad-loan-problem/articleshow/66442846.cms">The spat between India’s central bank and the government gets more heated as the finance minister blames the RBI for not doing enough to prevent the country’s bad loan problem</a>

The resignation of the governor of India’s central bank sends a clear indication about the erosion of institutional autonomy under the Modi administration

The CBI arrested former Air Force Chief SP Tyagi over alleged irregularities in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal worth 3,700 crores. 
 
He was arrested along with his cousin Sanjeev Tyagi and lawyer Gautam Khaitan after hours of questioning. 
 
Tyagi, who retired in 2007, was questioned by the CBI extensively in the past in this case. 
 
All the 3 have been arrested on the allegations of accepting illegal gratification for exercising influence through corrupt and or illegal means, the CBI said. 
 
The former air chief has been accused of abusing his official position by corrupt means. 
 
This is the first high-profile arrest made by acting CBI chief Rakesh Asthana, who is in the headlines because of a row between the government and the opposition over his appointment a week ago. 
 
Asthana was given charge of the chopper deal investigation earlier this year. 
 
On January 1, 2014, India had scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks of Rs 423 crore by it for securing the deal. 
 
The CBI in the initial investigations into the AgustaWestland scam had found that former IAF chief SP Tyagi was indeed bribed by middlemen+ around the same time - 2004-2005 - that his cousins were given money, highly placed sources said. 
 
The CBI was looking into former IAF chief's investments in property and banks, especially after 2004-05, to ascertain the money trail in the VVIP helicopter scam. 
 
It had got Letters Rogatory (judicial requests) issued to multiple countries to gather more leads and evidences in this case. 
 
Sources said the agency had identified the alleged 'briber giver' (AgustaWestland), bribe takers (cousins of S P Tyagi), middlemen (Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa), bribe amount and to some extent the bribe route. It is now looking to establish where the money went after reaching Tyagi's cousins (Julie, Docsa and Sandeep). 
 
The Enforcement Directorate had in April this year summoned Tyagi in connection with its money-laundering probe in the Rs 3,600 crore .

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Here’s why the top two officials of India’s main investigative agency are fighting with each other

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No force in world can stop Indian soldiers from protecting border: Modi

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Here’s what India’s first anti-corruption ombudsman is up against

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The resignation of the governor of India’s central bank sends a clear indication about the erosion of institutional autonomy under the Modi administration

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CBI arrests ex-Air Force Chief SP Tyagi in VVIP Chopper Scam

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