Summary of this article
Rahul Gandhi submitted a strong dissent note during the meeting of the PM-led panel to select the next CBI director, saying he would not be part of a “biased exercise”.
Gandhi alleged the government denied him access to self-appraisal and 360-degree reports of candidates, reducing the selection process to a “mere formality” and treating the LoP as a “rubber stamp”.
He also accused the Centre of misusing the Central Bureau of Investigation against opposition leaders and critics, while the panel chaired by Narendra Modi met to finalise the successor to outgoing CBI Director Praveen Sood.
A high-powered committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here on Tuesday evening to decide on the appointment of the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were among the other members of the panel who attended the meeting at the prime minister's home at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
Praveen Sood, the present CBI Director, will step down on May 24, 2026.
Rahul Gandhi gave a strong dissent note on the process of selection of the next CBI director, calling it a "biased exercise".
In his two-page dissent note, he alleged that the government has reduced the selection process to a mere formality, and the leader of the opposition (LoP) cannot be a rubber stamp.
"By denying the Selection Committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The leader of opposition is not a rubber stamp.
"I cannot abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise. I, therefore, dissent in the strongest terms," Gandhi said in his dissent note submitted to the prime minister during the meeting.
Gandhi also charged that the government was abusing the top investigative body to target opponents, journalists, and opposition leaders.
"I write to you in your capacity as Chairperson of the Committee constituted to recommend the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to record my dissent with its proceedings. Your government has repeatedly misused the CBI, intended to be India's premier investigative agency, to target political opponents, journalists and critics.
"It is to prevent such institutional capture that the Leader of Opposition is included in the Selection Committee. Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process," he said in his dissent note.
He added that despite repeated written requests, he has not been provided with the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates.
"Instead, I was expected to examine the appraisal records of sixty-nine candidates for the first time during the Committee meeting. The 360-degree reports were denied to me outright," he said.
Gandhi noted that a detailed review of these records is crucial to assess each candidate's history and performance.
"This deliberate denial of information, without any legal basis, makes a mockery of the selection process and ensures that only your pre-decided candidate is selected," the Congress leader said.
He also mentioned his earlier disagreement, which was recorded in the prior meeting on May 5 of last year, and the letter he wrote to the prime minister on October 21, offering steps for a transparent and equitable process, to which he has not even received a response.
