Rakesh Asthana will continue to hold additional charge of Directorate General of Narcotics Control Bureau.
The central government has appointed Rakesh Asthana, former special director of CBI and IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, as director general of Border Security Force (BSF). Rakesh Asthana is currently working as the Director General of the Civil Aviation Security Bureau (BCAS) here. Modi’s cabinet has approved his appointment. Rakesh Asthana will continue to hold additional charge of Directorate General of Narcotics Control Bureau.
In 2018, when there was a tussle between senior CBI officials, Rakesh Asthana was also involved in it. Then the CBI Chief Alok Verma and Rakesh Asthana had fierce differences on many subjects, after which the government had to intervene in the case.The CBI had registered a case against Rakesh Asthana in an alleged bribe case.
It is said that this case was registered at the behest of Alok Verma. CBI Director Alok Verma was also transferred from the investigating agency during that time. After the transfer, he was appointed Director General of the Fire Service but he never joined this post.
Authorities also made serious allegations of taking bribe on each other. The Supreme Court had also intervened in the whole matter as it was a question of the reputation of all the credible and most important investigative agency of the country.
However, in March this year, the court accepted the report of the investigating agency in which it gave a clean chit to former CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana and Deputy Police Superintendent (DSP) Devendra Kumar. The investigating agency CBI had said in its report that they did not get enough material against Asthana and Devendra Kumar.
Rakesh Asthana is considered close to the current government. Rakesh Asthana will continue as BSF Director General from 31 July 2021 from the date he takes over the post. His retirement date is 31 July next year.