Kashmir Impulse Desk

New Delhi, May 13 

The Centre on Wednesday extended the tenure of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood by one year beyond May 24, 2026, marking his second extension in office.

Sood, a 1986-batch Indian Police Service officer from the Karnataka cadre, took charge of the federal investigative agency on May 25, 2023, for an initial two-year term. He had earlier received a one-year extension in 2025.

The decision was taken by a selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, officials said.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the extension based on the committee’s recommendation, according to an order issued by the personnel ministry.

Rahul Gandhi submitted a dissent note during the selection process, saying he did not wish to be part of what he described as a “biased exercise”, officials said.

Government officials said Sood’s extension was aimed at ensuring continuity in the leadership of the CBI, which is handling several high-profile and politically sensitive investigations, including the alleged NEET-UG examination paper leak case.

Officials described Sood as closely supervising investigations into major cases handled by the agency.

Born in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district in 1964, Sood studied civil engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi before joining the Indian Police Service at the age of 22.

The extension was granted under provisions introduced through amendments to the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act in 2021.

The amended law allows the government to extend the tenure of a CBI director in public interest for up to one year at a time, subject to a maximum total tenure of five years, including the initial appointment period.

The Supreme Court, in its 1997 judgment in the Vineet Narain versus Union of India case, had directed that the CBI director should have a minimum tenure of two years to safeguard the agency’s independence.

Former CBI directors R K Raghavan, Vijay Shankar, and Ashwani Kumar had also received extensions beyond their initial fixed tenures until their retirement dates, officials said.