Is CBI Director 'untouchable' for his actions, asks SC

New Delhi: Does the CBI Director have such protection that neither the Centre nor the CVC can touch him for his any action during the fixed tenure of two years?

This question arose on Thursday in the Supreme Court which was hearing the petitions filed by CBI Director Alok Verma and others challenging the Centre's decision to divest him of all powers and sending him on leave along with Special Director Rakesh Asthana. Both have levelled allegations of corruption against each other.

When senior advocates Fali Nariman and Dushyant Dave, appearing for Verma and an NGO, Common Cause respectively, argued that neither the Centre nor the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had any power to take disciplinary action against the CBI Director, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked: "Will that not make CBI Director virtually untouchable? Is that what Parliament intended?"

"Does the fixed tenure of CBI Director supersede all rules and makes him untouchable?", asked the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph.

These questions cropped up while Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CVC, was justifying the action taken against the CBI chief.