Rajnath seeks 3-month extension for Ishrat probe officer, PM gives 2

Senior IAS officer BK Prasad, who probed the Ishrat Jahan missing files case, has got a two-month extension with Prime Minister Narendra Modi reducing the three-month period sought by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

In a letter to Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi has said that finding Prasad’s replacement would not be easy and changing the officer, who was recently in news for allegedly ‘tutoring’ a witness, would set the clock back by almost three months. While seeking the three-month extension, he added that the probe was “highly sensitive” and the report might be discussed in Parliament.

The DoPT has processed the request for Prasad’s extension, which was approved by the PM for only two months till July 31. Prasad, a 1983 batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, was due to retire on May 31. The government has recently appointed Maharashtra cadre IAS officer Bipin Bihari Mallick as his replacement.

In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the issue of missing papers from the file dealing with the filing of affidavit in Ishrat Jahan case, the Home Ministry had ordered an enquiry by Prasad on March 14, this year. The panel has submitted its report on June 15.