Karnataka director general of police (DGP) Praveen Sood was appointed the next chief of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), according to a government order issued on Sunday.
The 59-year-old has been appointed to the post for a period of two years from the date of assuming charge after outgoing CBI chief Subodh Kumar Jaiswal completes his tenure on May 25.
“Approval of the competent authority is hereby conveyed to the appointment of Praveen Sood, IPS, (KN:86) as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), for period of two years from the date of assumption of charge vice Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, IPS (MH:85) consequent upon the completion of his tenure,” an order by the department of personnel and training said.
Jaiswal took over as CBI director on May 26, 2021.
A high-powered panel comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met on Saturday to decide on Jaiswal’s successor.
Besides Sood, the names of Madhya Pradesh DGP Sudhir Saxena and an officer of the UT cadre from the 1987 batch were discussed.
A graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Sood joined the Indian Police Service in 1986 and served as assistant superintendent of police, Mysore, in 1989. He also served as superintendent of police in Bellary and Raichur before being posted as deputy commissioner of police, law and order, in Bengaluru city.
In 1999, Sood went on foreign deputation as police advisor to the Government of Mauritius for three years.
Sood has also served as principal secretary in the Karnataka home department and DGP of the Criminal Investigation Department, economic offences and special units. He was appointed as Karnataka DGP in 2020.
In March, ahead of the recently held Karnataka assembly elections, state Congress chief DK Shivakumar slammed the former for allegedly favouring the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Shivakumar had even called the DGP “nalayak” (incompetent) and said the party would take strict action against him after coming to power.
The Congress won the state elections, the results of which were declared on Saturday.
