CBI director Alok Verma appears before CVC for the second day

NEW DELHI: CBI director Alok Verma appeared before Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for the second day in connection with an inquiry into corruption charges levelled against him by his deputy and special director Rakesh Asthana, reported news agency PTI.
Verma is understood to have given point-wise refusal to all the allegations levelled by Asthana before the panel comprising Vigilance Commissioners T M Bhasin and Sharad Kumar, they said.
Justice A K Patnaik, a retired Supreme Court judge, who has been asked by the apex court to supervise the CVC inquiry was also present, officials said.
Verma came to the CVC office early Friday morning and stayed there for about an hour, they said.
He did not give any comment to the media waiting outside the CVC's office.
The Supreme Court had on October 26 asked the Central Vigilance Commission to complete within two weeks its inquiry into the allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana.
The two weeks time limit ends on Sunday and the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Monday.
Yesterday, Verma had met CVC commissioner KV Chowdary for about two hours and denied corruption charges levelled against him by Asthana.
During his visit, Verma met Chowdary and Vigilance Commissioner Sharad Kumar, the officials said, without giving any other details.
The Supreme Court had on October 26 asked the CVC to complete within two weeks its inquiry into allegations against Verma levelled by Asthana. Officials said Asthana also met the CVC.
Feuding officers Verma and Asthana have been sent on leave by the government.
The Commission had recently examined some CBI officials probing crucial cases which figured in Asthana's complaint of corruption against the probe agency's chief Verma, they said.
The Supreme Court had directed that the CVC's inquiry into the allegations against Verma, who has challenged the government's decision divesting him of his duties and sending him on leave, would be conducted under the supervision of retired apex court judge Justice A K Patnaik and this was a "one-time exception".
The feud between Verma and Asthana escalated recently leading to registration of an FIR against the latter and others including DSP Devender Kumar, who is in CBI custody in an alleged bribery case.
The CBI had on October 15 registered the FIR against Asthana for allegedly receiving a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Hyderabad-based businessman Sana Sathish Babu which was given through two middlemen Manoj Prasad and Somesh Prasad to sabotage the probe against meat exporter Moin Qureshi.
On August 24, Asthana, in his complaint to the cabinet secretary, had levelled allegations against Verma that he got a bribe of Rs two crore from Sana to help him get some relief from questioning in the matter.
(With inputs from agencies)