NEW DELHI: In a surprise decision, the Government appointed Ashwani Kumar, Director General of Himachal Pradesh Police, as the new Director of the CBI superseding the front runner M L Sharma, currently agency's Special Director.

Sharma, a 1972 batch IPS officer who has been in the agency for around 22 years, was officially informed that he would miss the coveted post, 30 minutes before Vijay Shanker was to lay down his office after serving as its Director for two years and seven months.

Sharma was also informed that Kumar, one year junior to him, had got the job. Sharma(58) refused to comment on the decision and did not indicate his future course of action as to whether he would be serving under the Director who was junior to him or proceed on leave.

This was for the first time in the history of the CBI that an officer had been superseded for the top post. Kumar, a 1973 batch IPS officer of Himachal Pradesh, had earlier served in the premier investigating agency for just under a decade as Joint Director (Policy) before being promoted as Additional Director in the agency.

He was selected from a panel of three officers, the other two being Sharma and Karnataka Police Chief R Srikumar. Kumar has a tenure till November 30, 2010. He had also served in elite Special Protection Group during the Congress government headed by the then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao.

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