Subodh Jaiswal, the new CBI Chief is an ace investigator of high profile and tough cases

Ujjawala Nayudu

New Delhi, May 26

Subodh Kumar Jaiswal is the new CBI Chief who will head the country's premiere investigation agency that looks into high profile cases of crime and corruption. Jaiswal will head the agency for two years starting from the day he assumes the charge.

On May 25, the Department of Personnel and Training issued an order appointing Subodh Jaiswal as the new CBI Chief. Jaiswal is currently the DG of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at New Delhi.

Jaiswal (58) comes with 35 years of experience in Indian Police Sevices with his last stint of heading the Maharashtra police as the DGP of Maharashtra.

After a special meeting at the Prime Minister's residence on May 24, the panel headed by PM Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India NV Ramanna and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary discussed the possible candidates where Chowdhury had raised objections to the selection procedure and called the process "casual and superficial" approach in selecting the new CBI director 

It was learnt that out of the 109 senior IPS officers from the country had applied for the post out of which 16 were shortlisted by May 24 and the final decision was taken on May 25 to appoint Jaiswal after the senior contenders for the post Rakesh Asthana, DG BSF (Border Security Force) and NCB (Narcotics Control Bureau of India) and YC Modi, DG NIA (National Investigation Agency), both who were listed as top contenders, were ruled out. 

Additional Director Praveen Sinha, a 1988-batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, was appointed the acting chief of the agency after Rishi Kumar Shukla completed his two-year tenure on February 3.

Starting as a young ASP in Amravati District, Jaiswal known to be a simple and low key officer earned immense respect in Maharashtra Police with his work. Jaiswal was also known for carrying out successful anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli and adjoining naxal affected districts in Maharashtra. 

Jaiswal headed the 2003 High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed Abdul Karim Telgi's multi-crore fake stamp paper scam which was later taken over by the CBI. He was then the head of Maharashtra State Reserve Police Force.

He has also served in the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) where he investigated the 2006 Malegaon bombings, a series of bomb blasts in Maharashtra's Malegaon town.

It is pertinent to note, that Jaiswal previously headed the Special Protection Group (SPG) that secured then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He has had stints in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) for nine years, including three years as an additional secretary.

In 2018, he returned to Maharashtra as the Mumbai Police Commissioner and a year later in February 2019, he was appointed as Maharashtra’s Director General of Police (DGP).

During his tenure as DGP, Elgaar Parishad and Bhima Koregaon violence cases were investigated before being transferred to the CBI in 2020.

In CBI, Jaiswal is believed to investigate the corruption charges made by former Mumbai Police Chief Param Bir Singh against Maharashtra former home minister, Anil Deshmukh.

His colleagues in Maharashtra Police call him a simple, warm but a strict officer.

As senior IPS officer who served as Pune Police Commissionerate when Jaiswal was DGP Maharashtra said, "He is a calm minded officer who believes in working quietly. As an officer, he looks into every minute detail of a case and investigation. As a superior he is supportive and ensured communication at every level. He ensured the policemen could speak with him directly if they had to and always showed warmth towards his foot soldiers".

As the DGP of Maharashtra, he was reportedly unhappy with the working of the government and some transfers made by the former Maharashtra HM Anil Deshmukh. He had even refused to sign on transfer orders and later sought deputation and moved to the Centre. 

He had joined the CISF as DG in December 2020.

Hailing from Dhanbad in Jharkhand, Jaiswal studied at CMRI branch of the De Nobili School in Jharkhand. He holds a Bachelor's degree in English from DAV College in Chandigarh and an MBA from Panjab University. He joined the Indian Police Service in 1985 and was allotted the Maharashtra cadre.