New Delhi: The Central Government on Wednesday (13 May 2026) extended the tenure of CBI Director Praveen Sood by one more year. Now he will remain the head of the agency even after May 24, 2026, till May 2027. This decision has come just a day after strong objection from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi had raised questions on the process of selecting the next CBI Chief.
DoPT issued order
According to media reports, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued an official order saying that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension on the recommendation of the Selection Committee. 1986 batch Karnataka cadre IPS officer Praveen Sood will now hold the command of CBI for one more year.
Rahul Gandhi’s dissent note on selection process
Last Tuesday (12 May 2026), a meeting of the high-level selection committee chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was also included in it. In the same meeting, Rahul Gandhi had submitted a two-page dissent note.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the government has made the entire selection process just a formality. He said that he was not even allowed to see important documents like ‘self-appraisal’ and ‘360-degree’ reports of the candidates.
Rahul Gandhi clearly said, “I cannot turn my back on my constitutional duty by becoming a part of this partisan process.” He also accused the government of misusing CBI. According to Rahul, opposition leaders, journalists and critics of the government are being targeted through the agency.
Got extension for the second time
Let us tell you that Praveen Sood has got this second extension in the post of CBI Director. Earlier in May 2025 also, he was given one year extension in service. Then no consensus could be reached on the name of the new director. His original two-year tenure was to end on May 24 last year.
Sood is former DGP of Karnataka
It is noteworthy that former Karnataka DGP Praveen Sood was appointed CBI Director for two years in May 2023. He had replaced Subodh Jaiswal. The CBI Director is appointed by the Central Government on the recommendation of a three-member selection committee. The chairman of this committee is the Prime Minister. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India are also its members.
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