Rakesh Asthana, a former CBI officer cleared of corruption charges who is seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been appointed director-general of the Border Security Force.

The controversial Gujarat-cadre IPS officer currently heads the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, with additional charge as director-general of the Narcotics Control Bureau.

On Monday night, the department of personnel and training said the appointments committee of the cabinet had “approved the proposal of the Union home ministry’s for the appointment of Rakesh Asthana as DG BSF”.

Asthana had in 2018 been locked in an unprecedented public feud with then CBI director Alok Verma, each levelling corruption allegations against the other, prompting the Centre to bench both in a midnight operation.

In February this year, the CBI gave Asthana a clean cheat. Most of the CBI officials probing the bribery charges against Asthana had earlier been transferred.

The CBI had booked Asthana on a complaint from Sathish Sana, a Hyderabad-based businessman and co-accused in a corruption case against meat exporter Moin Qureshi. Sana had alleged that Asthana, then special CBI director, had promised to let him off against a bribe. Asthana had denied the allegation.

V.S.K. Kaumudi, a 1986-batch IPS officer from the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed special secretary (internal security) in the home ministry.