Former CBI director Joginder Singh passed away on Friday after prolonged illness. His cremation is scheduled to take place on February 4 at 1 pm at the Lodhi Crematorium in New Delhi. An IPS officer, Singh was the CBI director between 1996-97.
He was serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Sunil Healthcare Ltd. since January, 2000 and also served as the Director of Pamwi Tissues Ltd.
Before Singh’s CBI stint, he had occupied prominent posts, including Superintendent of Police in Bihar, Director of Youth Services in Karnataka, DIG and IG Police in Karnataka, Ministry of Commerce, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau, Special Home Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, Director General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force, Special Secretary in the Union Home Ministry and many others.
Singh, who joined Police Service at the age of 20, rose to take charge of CBI on July 31, 1996 when it was probing a large number of sensitive cases including Bofors, fodder scam, securities scam, the JMM MPs bribery scandal, Rs 133 crore urea scam, telecom deals by the then Union minister Sukh Ram, among others.
Back in 2012, he faced allegations of financial irregularities in his own group housing society called Nav Sansad Vihar Cooperative Group Housing Society in Dwarka area of New Delhi. He was unceremoniously removed from the post of president. He was also rebuked by the apex court for hobnobbing with politicians involved in hawala cases.
The ever outspoken officer who never hid his views on the functioning of CBI and corruption in the country, Singh had told The Hindu in an interview that many temptations were thrown at him when the agency was probing the fodder scam in which two former chief ministers of Bihar Lalu Prasad and Jagannath Mishra, besides a host of politicians and bureaucrats were allegedly involved.
Selected for IPS at the age of 20, Singh has authored numerous books including ‘Make a Way Where There is None’, ’50 Days to Top’, ‘Inside CBI’, ‘Police Ke Kahani Meri Zabani’, among others. He has also contributed articles, to various newspapers on the subjects of corruption, terrorism, and good governance. During his tenure as IG CRP, he has handled terrorism and security issues both in Kashmir and Punjab for around five years.
Singh has also received awards such as Panth Rattan, Delhi Rattan and Punjabian Di Shan.
