Praveen Sood Becomes Longest-Serving CBI Director in 26 Years
Praveen Sood gets a second consecutive one-year extension as CBI Director, extending his tenure to four years till May 2027, the longest in 26 years.
Praveen Sood has become the longest-serving Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation in more than two and a half decades. The 1986-batch IPS officer of the Karnataka cadre has been given a second consecutive one-year extension. It keeps him in the post till May 2027, taking his total tenure to four years.
The CBI Director's post is a fixed two-year term under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act. Extensions require sign-off from a selection committee of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of India or a nominee judge. The agency investigates corruption cases against public servants, economic offences referred by the Centre, and matters assigned by the Supreme Court and High Courts. It also runs dedicated cybercrime and anti-corruption enforcement units that coordinate with state police forces.
Sood joined the IPS in 1986 and spent most of his career in the Karnataka cadre before moving to Delhi in 2023. He served as the state's Director General of Police before his central deputation, a tenure during which he pushed the force to adopt digital crime-records and data-sharing systems. His postings across nearly four decades have covered district policing, intelligence and headquarters roles.
He took over as CBI Director in May 2023 for the standard two-year term. The first extension followed in 2025. This second one, back to back, has not happened for any CBI chief since the early 2000s.
The CBI is currently handling several high-value corruption investigations that carry political sensitivity. Keeping the same officer in place through them signals a preference for continuity at the top rather than a leadership change mid-probe.
Sood's extended term means he will oversee ongoing bank fraud investigations, cross-border economic offence cases, and matters referred by constitutional courts. The agency's cybercrime caseload has grown substantially in recent years, adding pressure on its existing investigative strength even as pendency of older cases remains a recurring point of scrutiny for the CBI.
The Department of Personnel and Training issued the extension order after clearance from the selection committee. Sood will complete four years as CBI Director when his term ends in May 2027.
