The Central government on Wednesday granted a one-year extension to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Praveen Sood beyond his extended tenure, which was set to end on May 24.
The order followed a meeting of the selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who submitted a dissent note.
Gandhi had issued a dissenting note on the process for selecting the CBI director.
“The Appointments Committee of Cabinet, based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee, has approved the extension in tenure of Praveen Sood, IPS (Karnataka cadre, 1986 batch) as Director, CBI, for a period of one year beyond May 24, 2026,” the order said.
Sood was appointed in May 2023 and earlier received a one-year extension in 2025.
Officials said the move was aimed at ensuring continuity in leadership and ongoing anti-corruption investigations.
Under his tenure, CBI pendency fell from 1,695 cases in 2020 to 1,048 in 2025. The agency brought back 47 fugitives in 2025 and issued 251 Interpol red notices. Trial disposal rose to 1,022 cases.
Before joining CBI, Sood served as the director general of police (DGP), Karnataka.
In November 2021, the government notified an ordinance to amend the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Act and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act to grant three one-year extensions to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) chief and the CBI director, if they so desire. This was subsequently passed by Parliament a month later. The ordinance was used to give three back-to-back extensions to former ED director Sanjay Kumar Mishra.
(With inputs from agencies)