New Delhi, Jan 25: CBI’s Joint Director Sampat Meena, who is handling the politically sensisitive Roshni Scam case in Jammu and Kashmir who is currently probing the alleged Hathras gang-rape case, and Joint Director Vineet Vinayak, have been awarded the President’s medal for distinguished service on the occasion of Republic Day.

Four more CBI officers — Saraladas Mishra, posted as ASP in CBI’s Economic Offence (EO) III in New Delhi; Vivek Dhir, posted as Deputy Superintendent (DSP) in ACB Jammu; Surender Kumar Rohilla, posted as DSP in ACU-V in New Delhi; and Basant Singh Bisht, Head Constable at the CBI headquarters — have also been awarded President’s medal for their distinguished services.

An official said that Meena, a 1994 batch IPS officer of Jharkhand cadre, who took over the alleged Unnao gangrape case and is currently probing the alleged Hathras gang-rape case, has been awarded the President’s Police medal for his distinguished service.

A CBI official requesting anonymity said that Meena worked very hard to bring the Unnao gangrape case to a conclusion with timely filing of the chargesheet in the case. BJP’s then MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is currently lodged in the jail in connection with the case.

The official added that it was her personal intervention that led to the filing of a timely chargesheet against the accused named in the alleged Hathras gang-rape case, which also included technical investigation, studying phone call details and reports from the AIIMS medical board and the forensic team.

The official said that earlier Meena was awarded the Jharkhand Chief Minister’s medal for meritorious service in 2000. In 2013, she received the President’s Police Medal for meritorious service.

The official said that Vinayak, who is a 1995 batch IPS officer of Sikkim cadre, has also been awarded the President’s meda for meritorius service.

Vinayak has probed some high profile cases, including the IRCTC scam involving then Railway Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad, former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in a disproportainate asset case, the arms licence scam in Jammu and Kashmir incolving several bureaucrats, illegal encroachment of forest land and recently the Roshni Scam case that the agwency registered involving several top politicians, including former Jammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.

As many as 24 CBI officers have been also been awarded the President’s Police Medal for meritorious service on the occasion of Republic Day, including the agency’s DIG Abhay Singh, who had probed a fraud case involving Microsoft customers where they were cheated by scamsters in India.

The official said that CBI SP Surti has been awarded the President’s Medal for meritorius service for his outstanding work in the Vyapam Scam case.

The official also said that SP Prasanna Kumar Panigrahi, who is currently posted in Dehradun, has also been awarded the police medal for meritoriuos service. He has handled several sensitive cases like the disproportainate assets case against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, and some of the fodder scam cases involving former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad.

Besides them, the President’s medal for meritorious service has also been awarded to Prahlad Kishore Jha, posted as ASP in the ACB in Dhanbad; Richhpal Singh, posted as ASP in ACB Jaipur; Letkholam Hangshing, posted as ASP in ACB Imphal; Ismail Babalal Pendhari, posted as DSP in SU Mumbai; Rama Raman Tripathi, posted as DSP in AC-II in New Delhi; Devraj Vakkada, posted as DSP in ACB in Kochi; and Rajender Singh Gosain, posted as Inspector in ACB Mumbai.

Others who have been awarded include Naresh Kumar, an SI posted in AC-V in New Delhi; Srigopal Sharma, posted as ASI at CBI HQ in New Delhi; Samshar Singh Dalal, posted as ASI in AC-II in New Delhi; KK Sasi, posted as Head Constable in BS&FB in Bengaluru; Shiv Dutt Sharma, posted as Head Constable in CBI Academy at Ghaziabad; A Damodharan, posted as Head Constable in ACB Madurai; Tapan Kumar Barua, posted as Head Constable at CBI HQ in New Delhi; Prasad Thankappan, posted as Head Constable at ACB Kochi; Ramesh Chand, posted as Head Constable at SU in New Delhi; Naran Meramanbhai Bhochiya, posted as Head Constable in ACB Gandhinagar; Anand Rajaram Pandhare, posted as Constable in SU in Mumbai; Avinash Kumar, posted as Constable at CBI HQ in New Delhi; Prasad G, posted as Constable in IPCU in New Delhi; and Ranjini Subramanian, posted as Office Superintendent in ACB Chennai.