New Delhi, Oct 24 (PTI) The Congress will hold protests on Friday outside all CBI offices across the country, demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reinstatement of CBI director Alok Verma who was sent on leave, sources said.

Top Congress leaders will be part of the protest outside the Central Bureau of Investigation headquarters in the national capital, while state leaders, including state party chiefs, will take part in similar protests.

Top Congress sources said the party will ask the prime minister to apologise to the nation for "illegal and unconstitutional" sending on leave of the CBI director. The party will also seek reinstatement of Verma.

A late-night order on Tuesday from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent Verma and Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who were at loggerheads, on leave.

Besides sending Verma and Asthana on leave, the government also transferred several CBI officials and appointed M Nageswar Rao as the interim chief of the agency.

Verma moved the Supreme Court Wednesday challenging the government's decision after which it agreed to hear his plea on Friday.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)