New Delhi, October 25: The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear tomorrow the pleas filed by CBI chief Alok Verma and NGO Common Cause challenging his removal as the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The bench which would be adjudicating on the petitions is headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The pleas were moved before the apex court on Wednesday, hours after Verma was axed from the central probing body in a late-night order issued by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). CBI vs CBI Row: Alok Verma Remains Director, Rakesh Asthana Special Director; 'Nageswara Rao Given Only Interim Charge'.

Challenging his "rapid fire", Verma's petition claim that the action taken by CVC and DoPT are violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution. The orders were "arbitrary and issues without the due process of law".

Notably, the order to remove Verma was issued at 1am on Wednesday. The move came hours after the agency suspended its special director Rakesh Asthana, charged in the bribery case linked to meat exporter Moin Qureshi.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi today accused the government of "sacking Verma at 2am in the night as he was about to begin a probe into the Rafale deal". Had the probe been initiated, "the PM would had been finished", he added.

The CBI, meanwhile, issued a clarification claiming that neither Verma nor Asthana have been removed of their charges. Both the top officials have been sent on a forced leave till the CVC adjudicates on the complaints registered against them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2018 07:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).