Karnataka director-general of police Praveen Sood has been appointed the next CBI director for two years, a day after the Congress won the state election.

Karnataka Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar had, while in the Opposition, accused Sood of filing random cases against Congress leaders, sought his arrest, and vowed action against him if his party was voted to power.

Shivakumar had called Sood a “nalayak” (useless person) and alleged the officer was a BJP agent protecting the state BJP government.

Sood’s appointment as CBI director was cleared on Saturday by a high-powered committee made up of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

CBI sources said Chowdhury had during the meeting given a note of dissent against the decision to appoint Sood as agency director from a shortlist of three IPS officers.

Sood, a 1986-batch IPS officer from the Karnataka cadre, will now move to Delhi to succeed the current CBI director, Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, whose term ends on May 25.

A former CBI joint director said Sood was believed to be close to the top leadership of the outgoing BJP government in Karnataka.

“His appointment as CBI chief is interesting considering the accusations against him of bias towards the ruling establishment during his tenure as Karnataka DGP,” the veteran said.

Opposition parties have long accused the Centre of unleashing its investigative agencies, especially the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, on their leaders to intimidate or malign them.

An order issued on Sunday by the department of personnel and training, which reports to the Prime Minister’s Office, said: “Approval of the competent authority is hereby conveyed to the appointment of Praveen Sood as director CBI for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the office vice Subodh Kumar Jaiswal consequent upon completion of his tenure.”

The CBI director’s tenure can be extended up to five years.