Alok Kumar Verma (born 14 July 1957) is a former Director of the
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is the premier investigating agency of India. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Originally set up to investigate bribery and governme ...
in India, who also served as Commissioner of
Delhi Police
The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). Delhi Police comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India. In 2015, sanctioned strength of Delhi ...
and Director General of
Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons, also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram, is a prison complex in India and the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. Run by Department of Delhi Prisons, Government of Delhi, the prison contains nine central prisons, and is one ...
. A 1979 batch IPS officer of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territories cadre, Verma has over 39 years of experience in the
Indian Police Service
The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became Partition of India, independent from the British Raj.
Along with the Indian Administ ...
(I
PS).
Alok Kumar Verma was the 27th Director of the
CBI, the highest executive position in the premier federal agency a position which he held until removed from his post by a majority of the High Powered Committee (consisting of the PM, a CJI appointee and the Opposition Leader). Verma's removal caused controversy in India and was questioned by legal experts and opposition leaders because of the absence of any evidence to prove allegations of corruption that had been levelled against him. Even Honorable Retired Justice A.K. Patnaik, who was appointed by the Court to monitor the enquiry being conducted by the CVC, termed the decision of the committee as very hasty and indicated that there was no evidence of corruption against Alok Kumar Verma.
Biography
Alok Kumar Verma attended
St. Xavier's School, Delhi. He completed his post graduate education in History at
St. Stephen's College, Delhi.
Having joined the Indian Police Service in 1979 at the age of 22, Verma was assigned to the AGMU Cadre. He was the youngest officer in his batch. Before assuming the office of Commissioner of Police, Delhi, Alok Kumar Verma headed several organisations. He was Director General of Prisons, Delhi; Director General of Police (DGP) in Mizoram; DGP in Puducherry and Inspector General of Police (IGP) for Andaman & Nicobar Islands. During his service, Verma held several important positions. He served in Delhi as Special Commissioner of Police for Crime, Vigilance and Intelligence respectively, also as Joint Commissioner of the Crime branch; Joint Commissioner of Police, New Delhi Range and Deputy Commissioner, South District. His second-last posting was as the CBI head, his 24th posting as a police officer, following which Verma was transferred to the position of Director General of Fire Safety, Civil Defence and Home Guards but he refused the post.
Along with
Rakesh Asthana, Special Director CBI, Verma was entangled in a corruption controversy: both accused each other of bribery and on the recommendation of the
Central Vigilance Commission
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is an apex Indian governmental body created in 1964 to address governmental corruption. In 2003, the Parliament enacted a law conferring statutory status on the CVC. It has the status of an autonomous body, f ...
, both were subsequently asked by the government to go on leave. Consequently, Verma went to the Supreme Court of India and Asthana to Delhi High Court, both of them appealing the recommendation. The Supreme Court canceled the decision to send Verma on leave and Verma was reinstated as CBI director two months later with the instruction that he not take any major decisions until the selection committee decided his fate over the corruption charges. After one day, the selection committee agreed that Verma be transferred to the position of Director General of Fire Safety, Civil Defence and Home Guard. The decision of the committee was based on a CVC report submitted to the SC in sealed covers. The CVC had been instructed by the SC to complete its investigation within two weeks under the direct supervision of former retired SC judge Justice A.K. Patnaik. The CVC concluded the inquiry with a written report on the charges levelled against Verma. Later, Justice Patnaik said, “There was no evidence against Verma regarding corruption. The entire inquiry was held on Asthana’s complaint. I have said in my report that none of the findings in the CVC’s report are mine.”
In a subsequent press release Verma said that he was trying to "uphold CBI's integrity" but was removed as a result of a baseless allegation by one person (Asthana) who was inimical to him. In his letter to the DoPT, Verma said that he did not get an opportunity to present his case and wrote that "Natural justice was scuttled and the entire process was turned upside down in ensuring that the undersigned is removed from the post of the Director CBI." The Former Chief Justice of India, Justice T.S. Thakur, also articulated his opinion in detail on the removal of CBI Director Alok Verma stating that "if the selection committee that removed Alok Verma as CBI director did not give him adequate opportunity to present his point of view, it amounts to a violation of the principles of natural justice.”
The entire controversy of Verma's removal has questioned the independence of the CBI as a premier investigating agency in the country. Former Chief Justice of India, R.M. Lodha who coined the phrase "caged parrot" for the Central Bureau of Investigation's plight as a prisoner of government's demands also commented on how its independence needed to be preserved
Dates of rank in IPS
*

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Delhi – 1979
*

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi – 1985
*

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi – 1992
*

Inspector General of Police,
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated ...
– 2001
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Joint Commissioner of Police, Delhi – 2004
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Special Commissioner of Police, Crime and Railways – 2007
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Director General of Police, Pondicherry – 2008
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Special Commissioner of Police, Intelligence, Delhi – 2012
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Director General of Police, Mizoram – 2012
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Director General of Police,
Tihar Jail
Tihar Prisons, also called Tihar Jail and Tihar Ashram, is a prison complex in India and the largest complex of prisons in South Asia. Run by Department of Delhi Prisons, Government of Delhi, the prison contains nine central prisons, and is one ...
– 2014
*

Commissioner of Police, Delhi – 2016
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Director, Central Bureau of Investigation – 2017
*

Director, Central Bureau of Investigation – 2019
Awards
Alok Kumar Verma was decorated with the
President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2003 and Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 1997.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verma, Alok
Indian police officers
Indian police chiefs
1957 births
Living people
People from New Delhi
Directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation