CBI Director Praveen Sood gets one-year extension

New Delhi: The Centre has extended the tenure of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood by one year, officials confirmed on Wednesday. Sood, who assumed office as CBI Director on May 25, 2023, for a two-year term, will now continue in the position until May 25, 2026.

The decision to extend his tenure was made during a meeting of the selection committee, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the extension based on the committee's recommendations.

Sood, a 1986-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Karnataka cadre, previously served as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Karnataka before being appointed as the CBI Director. Born in 1964 in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, he joined the IPS at the age of 22 after completing a degree in civil engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. He also holds a post-graduate degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bengaluru, and the Maxwell School of Governance, Syracuse University in New York.

Known for his hands-on leadership style, Sood has overseen high-profile investigations, including cases involving high-net-worth individuals and those with interstate and international implications. The tech-savvy officer has also been instrumental in strengthening the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and the Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) in Karnataka in collaboration with the judiciary.

With PTI inputs