Praveen Sood, the Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has been granted a one-year extension as his tenure was set to end on May 24, 2025.
The move comes after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet failed to reach a consensus on his successor.
Sood, a 1986-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, was appointed as the CBI Director in May 2023 for a two-year term, replacing Subodh Jaiswal. His extension follows a high-profile meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna in attendance. However, the selection committee could not finalise a candidate to replace Sood.
The Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, mandates a two-year tenure for the CBI Director and stipulates that officers with less than six months of service remaining cannot be considered for the role. As discussions continue, Sood’s extension is expected to provide temporary stability to the investigative agency while deliberations over the next director unfold.
