CBI's Ashwin Shenvi to head SIT probing Bengal teachers' recruitment scam

Kolkata: Ashwin Shenvi, a 2006 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Haryana cadre and currently posted in Chandigarh as Deputy Inspector General, CBI will be heading the central agency's special investigation team (SIT) probing the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal.

Shenvi's name was cleared on this count on Friday afternoon by the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who ordered Shenvi to report to Central Bureau of Investigation's Kolkata office within seven days and take charge of the SIT.

On Friday's CBI's counsel, as directed by Justice Gangopadhyay, furnished to the court three names of CBI officers, all in the rank of DIG. The other CBI officers named were Shudhangshu Khare, who is currently posted in Kolkata but in a different wing, and Michaelraj S, currently posted in Ranchi.

Before finalising Shenvi's name, Justice Gangopadhyay enquired whether senior CBI officer, Pankaj Srivastava, who had a long association with CBI in West Bengal, can be assigned for the task. He said that he would prefer any officer who is well aware of the ground realities in West Bengal so that the probe on the teachers' recruitment scam does not meet the same fate of a never-ending probe like that in the chit fund scam.

The CBI counsel then informed the court that Srivastava has already been promoted to the rank of Inspector General and is currently posted with CBI Training Academy at Ghaziabad. Thereafter Justice Gangopadhyay finalised Shenvi's name.

Justice Gangopadhyay, a couple of days back, wanted erstwhile DIG, CBI, Akhilesh Singh, who also had a long association with the agency in West Bengal, as the head of the SIT. However, that was not possible as Singh had always been relieved from the CBI and he is going back to his parent cadre of Assam as Inspector General.