Suresh N Patel appointed CVC, ex-IB chief Arvind Kumar as vigilance commissioner

New Delhi: Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel was on Wednesday appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, a year after the post fell vacant.

Patel, who has been working as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) since June this year, was sworn in as the chief of the probity watchdog Central Vigilance Commission by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

Press Trust of India (PTI) had last month reported that Patel’s appointment as the CVC was cleared by a selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“At a ceremony held today at 1000 hrs at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Shri Suresh N Patel, was sworn in as the Central Vigilance Commissioner. He made and subscribed the oath of his office before the President,” a communique issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday said.

The ceremony was also attended by the prime minister and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

Later in the day, CVC Patel administered the oath of office to former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Arvind Kumar and ex-IAS officer Praveen Kumar Srivastava as the vigilance commissioners.

With these appointments, the Central Vigilance Commission is in its full strength now. The Commission is headed by a central vigilance commissioner and it can have two vigilance commissioners.

Patel, former managing director and chief executive officer of Andhra Bank, was in April 2020 appointed as the vigilance commissioner. He has been officiating as the CVC since June 24 this year after the completion of term by Sanjay Kothari, former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer.

Prime minister Modi-led three-member selection panel had met in July to decide on the CVC and vigilance commissioners.

The other two members on the panel are Union home minister and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha.

During the meeting, the panel approved Patel’s appointment as the CVC. It also approved the appointments of Kumar and Srivastava as the vigilance commissioners.

Kumar and Srivastava were sworn in as the vigilance commissioners by the Central Vigilance Commissioner at the office of the Central Vigilance Commission here, a Personnel Ministry statement said.

Kumar, a 1984 batch (retired) Indian Police Service officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, served as the 27th director of the Intelligence Bureau from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

He joined the Intelligence Bureau as its assistant director in 1991.

Kumar has also served as First Secretary in the Embassy of India, Moscow, Russia. During his service, he has handled a number of onerous assignments on national security matters, including VIP security, left wing extremism and Jammu and Kashmir, it said.

He was awarded with the prestigious Indian Police Medal for meritorious service in 2003 followed by President’s Police Medal for distinguished service in 2009.

Srivastava, a 1988 batch (retired) IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, retired as secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat on January 31, 2022.

During the tenure as special secretary and additional secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs, he handled matters relating to cadre management of Indian Police Service, personnel and general administration of central armed police forces and Union Territories.

Srivastava also assisted the government in negotiations relating to trade in services under World Trade Organisation (WTO) as director/deputy secretary, Department of Commerce.

He also served as chief vigilance officer in RITES Ltd and as joint secretary and Mission Director, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The tenure of a CVC and vigilance commissioner is of four years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years.