LoP Rahul Gandhi said that despite repeated written requests, he was not provided with the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates.

A high-powered committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on Tuesday (May 12, 2026) evening to decide on the appointment of the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in which Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi submitted a dissent note, accusing the government of “institutional capture” of the agency to target political opponents, journalists, critics.

The panel, headed by the Prime Minister, also includes Chief Justice of India Surya Kant apart from the Opposition leader. The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s 7, Lok Kalyan Marg residence and lasted over an hour.

The tenure of the current CBI Director, Praveen Sood, is set to end on May 24, 2026.

Mr. Gandhi shared his strongly-worded dissent note on his X handle and accused the government of making a “mockery” of the selection process.

“Your government has repeatedly misused the CBI, intended to be India’s premier investigative agency, to target political opponents, journalists, and critics. It is to prevent such institutional capture that the Leader of Opposition is included in the Selection Committee. Regrettably, you have continued to deny me any meaningful role in the process,” Mr. Gandhi said.

Mr. Gandhi said that despite repeated written requests, he was not provided with the self-appraisal reports or 360-degree reports of the eligible candidates.

“Instead, I was expected to examine the appraisal records of 69 candidates for the first time during the Committee meeting. The 360-degree reports were denied to me outright. A detailed review of these records is crucial to assess each candidate’s history and performance. This deliberate denial of information, without any legal basis, makes a mockery of the selection process and ensures that only your pre-decided candidate is selected,” he said.

The Opposition leader reminded Mr. Modi that he had recorded his dissent in the previous meeting on 5^th May 2025 and also written to him on 21st October 2025, suggesting measures for a fair and transparent process.

“By denying the Selection Committee crucial information, the government has reduced it to a mere formality. The Leader of Opposition is not a rubber

stamp. I cannot abdicate my constitutional duty by participating in this biased exercise. I therefore dissent in the strongest terms,” Mr. Gandhi said.

The key committee is responsible for finalising the selection of next CBI Director.

The selection is done from a panel of shortlisted officers. Sources indicated that several senior IPS officers from different states are part of the list of officers being considered for the top CBI post. Some of the names of IPS officers that are understood to be under consideration include Parag Jain, Shatrujeet Kapoor, Yogesh Gupta, G.P. Singh, and Praveer Ranjan.