‘I had no desire of heading CBI and never expected this; it is Goddess Chamundeshwari’s blessings’

Mysore/Mysuru: Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Sood will be the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), according to a Government Order issued last evening. Sood 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.

Jaiswal took over as CBI Director on May 26, 2021. A high-powered panel comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury met last Saturday to decide on Jaiswal’s successor and chose 59-year-old Praveen Sood for the top post.

Besides Sood, the names of Madhya Pradesh DGP Sudhir Saxena and an officer of the UT cadre from the 1987 batch were discussed.

Praveen Sood is the third IPS Officer of Karnataka cadre to be appointed as CBI Chief. The other two were Joginder Singh and D.R. Karthikeyan.

A pleasant surprise

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Praveen Sood said that he would take charge on May 25. “It came as a pleasant surprise as I harboured no desire or ambition to occupy the top post in the CBI. I never expected this and it is the blessings of Goddess Chamundeshwari and I will serve the nation to the best of my abilities. I am happy to earn the trust of PM Modi, the Chief Justice of India and the Selection Committee Members,” he said.

Sood said that he will definitely visit Sri Chamundeshwari Temple atop the Chamundi Hill in Mysuru soon and seek her blessings to perform well and also to safeguard the interests of the nation in a responsible way.

Meanwhile, with Sood’s imminent exit, the State Government has to prepare a list of senior most eligible IPS Officers for the post of DG&IGP. According to the seniority list, 1987 batch IPS Officer Alok Mohan is in the top place. Presently, Mohan is DGP for Home Guards and is due to superannuate in April 2025.

Hailing from Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, Sood did his graduation from IIT-Delhi and joined the IPS at the age of 22.  He 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.

It may be mentioned here that Praveen Sood had served as Police Commissioner of Mysuru city from 2004 to 2007. During his tenure, he worked extensively on terrorists network including those of Pakistan origin.

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 DG&IGP in 2020.

Issue with DKS

In March, ahead of the recently held Karnataka Assembly elections, KPCC President D.K. Shivakumar (DKS) had slammed Sood for allegedly favouring the BJP Government. Shivakumar had even called the DGP “nalayak” (incompetent) and said the party would take strict action against him after coming to power.

“Immediately, there should be a case against him and he should be arrested. The Election Commission should remove him. Let our government come, we will take action against him,” Shivakumar had said. But now, Praveen Sood will move to Delhi to assume the role of CBI Director for the next two years.