In an unprecedented move, Sharad Kumar got a second extension for one year as the Director General of National Investigation Agency (NIA), making him the first chief of the terror probe agency to be reemployed twice on contract basis after superannuation.
Kumar's tenure has seen the Hindu terror case probes getting derailed, witnesses turning hostile, and new ISIS arrests being made across the country.
He was set to retire by the month end, on October 31, but it is reliably learnt that home minister Rajnath Singh is personally fond of the NIA DG and his professional capabilities and the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is backing the home minister's view in this matter.
The 1979 batch IPS officer superannuated in 2015, but was reemployed on contract basis to continue as chief of the anti terror agency by the Modi government.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet had approved the proposal for re appointment of Kumar on the post of the NIA DG on "reemployment on contract basis for a period of one year beyond the date of superannuation." A Haryana cadre IPS officer, Kumar was first appointed as chief of NIA on July 30,2013.
The reason for his first extension in 2015 was cited as completion of certain important cases like Samjhauta blast case , Burdwan case and the Udhampur terror case.
