New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has asked the PM Modi led Centre why immediate steps to separate from the CBI Director Alok Verma of his powers were taken without consulting the selection team. Firing questions for this move the CJI stated Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the government has to be fair-haired adding that, “Essence of every government action should be to adopt the best course.”

To this Mehta answered that the CVC had come to the conclusion that an extraordinary circumstances had come up and that strange situations sometimes need extraordinary remedies.

The bench then asked that why the PM Modi led government did not approach the selection committee till now.

The top court observed that the internal strife within the CBI did not emerge overnight. Yesterday, the government had stated that it decided to strip CBI director, Alok Verma of his duties, as he and special director Rakesh Asthana were combating like "kilkenny cats", which was exposing the head of state probe agency.

Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal also informed the apex court that the government was well "within its right to intervene" to send both officers on leave by stripping them of their powers.