SC to Hear Bassi's Plea Against His Transfer after Three Weeks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday said it will hear CBI DSP AK Bassi's plea challenging his transfer to Port Blair saying it was vitiated by "mala fides" and would prejudice the probe against the agency's former special director Rakesh Asthana.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna said that Bassi can make a representation to the CBI director about his grievances.

Counsel appearing for Bassi said however that CBI was yet to file reply in the petition.

The bench then adjourned the matter for further hearing after three weeks.

On January 31, the apex court had sought response from the probe agency against the transfer.

Bassi, who was the investigating officer in the corruption case against Asthana, said he is being "victimised by the present interim CBI Director - M Nageswara Rao, who represents certain elements within the CBI, who did not want the Petitioner herein to conduct a free and fair investigation in the Asthana FIR".

He said it was Rao, who had passed the order dated October 24, 2018 transferring him to Port Blair and it is the same person at whose behest he is being sent to Andaman Nicobar again in utter disregard to the judgment of this Court in the case of former CBI director Alok Verma.

In his plea Bassi has challenged the transfer order issued on January 11 saying it is violative of the directions issued by the top court in its judgment on the plea of Verma who was reinstated.

Verma, however, was divested from his duties as CBI director by the high powered selection committee and transferred as Director General Fire Service.