Govt Appoints IRS Officers In CBI To Help Probe Economic Offences, IPS Lobby Upset

Last week, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued an order appointing five IRS officers in the CBI to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP), citing their specialised expertise in handling the growing number of financial fraud cases.

The officers appointed as SPs in the CBI for a five-year tenure from their joining date include 2014 batch officers Srishti Chaudhary (IRS), Navin Kumar Soni (IRS), Savyasachi Kumar (IRS), and Sonawane Pankaj Rajaram (IRS). Besides, a 2016 batch officer Rathod Krunal Chimanbahi (IRS) has also been appointed.

Notably, another IRS officer from the 2017 batch, Vijendra Kumar, who was already serving in the CBI as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG), received a one-year extension through a DoPT order last month, extending his tenure beyond July 19, 2024.

“Though the CBI usually gets its personnel from the IPS or the agency's own cadre recruited at Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) level or ranks, the decision to recruit IRS officers is to facilitate the CBI in effectively handling cases of economic offences, which are of late on the rise,” said a senior government official. 

The official contended that appointment and deputation of IRS officers in the CBI will give them better exposure at the initial level and will also help the government reduce the number of vacancies in the agency.

Given the spiralling of economic offences, the government wants to have the best hands in the top agencies, irrespective of the service. “IRS officers handle economic offences better, which the premier agency, too, can pick up. Moreover, the experience will help the IRS officers after the deputation is over," said the officials. 

The IPS lobby is reportedly upset with this decision, viewing it as a significant setback.“Already the IRS officers have reclaimed their primacy in the Enforcement Directorate. The IPS officers have also been moved out of the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO). Now, the CBI is also being opened for personnel of other services like the IRS,” said a senior police officer.