Praveen Sood, the DGP of Karnataka, has been appointed as the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as per an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). When Praveen Sood was working as the DGP of Karnataka, the state Congress leader DK Shivakumar had once called him ‘Nalayak’ meaning incompetent, or good-for-nothing. DK Shivakumar had also vowed to take action against him.
On Tuesday, 14th March 2023, Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar unleashed a verbal attack against the then State Director General and Inspector General of Police, Praveen Sood, referring to him as ‘Nalayak‘ and alleging his affiliation with the BJP which was in power in the state at that time. DK Shivakumar further stated that if Congress were to come into power in the state, they would take decisive measures against the senior officer Praveen Sood.
DK Shivakumar had said at that time, “This DGP is a ‘Nalayak’. Let our government come. We will take action against him. Congress had also written to ECI to remove him. I thought he (Praveen Sood) was a respected man. Immediately, a case should be registered against him and he should be arrested.”
DK Shivakumar had also said at that time, “He has finished three years in service. How many days do you want to keep and worship him? He has been filing cases only against Congress. He has registered more than 25 cases against us and not a single case against BJP leaders. Let our government come. We will take action against him.”
DK Shivakumar made these remarks while he was criticising the Karnataka police saying that they have registered several cases against Congress leaders and not even a single case against BJP leaders.
Praveen Sood will take charge of CBI just when Congress is set to form the government in Karnataka, with DK Shivakumar set to get a major role in the new government.
Who is Praveen Sood?
Praveen Sood, a 1986-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, has served as the State DGP for the past three years. Originally, Sood hails from Himachal Pradesh and is an alumnus of IIT-Delhi. He was appointed the Karnataka DGP in 2020. His other stints include Superintendent of Police, Bellary, and Raichur before getting posted to Bangalore city as Deputy Commissioner of Police, Law and Order.
Sood also worked as principal secretary of the Home Department, ADGP Karnataka State Reserve Police, and ADGP Administration. He was slated to retire in May 2024. However, with his appointment as the new Director of the CBI, he will now work for a tenure of two years, ensuring his presence in office until at least May 2025. It must be mentioned that an existing Director of the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) can serve for a maximum period of 5 years and a minimum tenure of 2 years.