Plea in SC against appointment of Nageswara Rao as CBI interim director

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court on Monday against M Nageswara Rao's appointment as interim Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and has sought transparency in the process of short-listing, selection and appointment of the CBI Director.The petition filed by NGO Common Cause and social activist Anjali Bhardwaj, to secure "independence and autonomy" of CBI, sought quashing of the order dated January 10 by which the charge and duties of the CBI Director Alok Verma have been handed over to Nageshwar Rao as an interim measure.The petitioners claims that the lack of transparency in the appointment of the CBI Director allows the government to exercise "undue influence in the appointment process" specially at the stage of short-listing of candidates.After the Selection Committee, comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice AK Sikri and Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, removed Alok Verma as CBI director, Nageshwar Rao was again appointed interim CBI .