New Delhi: The government has taken back the Union Home Minister’s medal for Excellence in Investigation that was given to CBI Inspector Rahul Raj in 2023. He was caught taking a ₹10 lakh bribe, and has been fired from his job, officials reported. This decision follows the advice of CBI Director Praveen Sood, who is focused on cleaning up corruption within the agency.
Raj was arrested on May 19 after allegedly accepting a bribe from Anil Bhaskaran, the chairman of Malay College of Nursing, and his wife Suma Anil. They were both taken into custody too. The CBI acted on information received from its internal team that noticed corruption involving nursing college inspections ordered by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Officials revealed that Director Sood firmly believes in the need for strong internal checks to support outside actions against corruption. To show their commitment to fighting corruption, the CBI quickly fired Raj without going through a long investigation process, citing Article 311 of the Constitution. The CBI also asked to cancel his medal, and the home ministry agreed.
The notification stated that the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation received by Rahul Raj on November 17, 2023, has now been canceled under Rule-9 of the award rules. In response to their strict anti-corruption policy, the CBI dismissed three officers without inquiry and forced five others to retire early in 2023-24, according to officials.
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