New Delhi, May 24 (IANS): A high-powered committee meeting began at the residence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday to select the new Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Besides the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, will discuss the names for the top CBI post for a fixed term of two years.

The CBI got an acting Director in the form of Praveen Sinha after the term of R.K. Shukla ended on February 3.

According to sources, several officers of the 1985 and 1986 batches are in the race for the top post.

After the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) chooses the names of at least three or four officers for the CBI Director's post, they are sent to the Select Committee comprising the Prime Minister, the CJI and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, which decides the final pick for a fixed term of two years. Currently the Congress is the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.

According to the guidelines set by the Supreme Court in 2004, officers from the four oldest serving batches of IPS are considered for the top post.

As per the guidelines, officials having experience in anti-corruption investigations or CBI, from the senior most four batches of IPS cadre, will be empanelled, following which a screening of three officers would be sent to the Appointments' Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister.