New Delhi: Reacting to Supreme Court’s order on completion of the probe into allegations against top officials of CBI within 14 days, Finance minister Arun Jaitley said the government welcomes the verdict and that the government has no interest for or against any individual.

He said the government has always said and is keen only on maintaining the institutional integrity of the investigative agency.

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Jaitley said recent developments have eroded the credibility of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the “CVC, in the interest of fairness, had passed an order that till investigation or inquiry is pending against the two top officers of the CBI, they must step aside and recuse themselves from CBI's function".

On the other hand, Congress president Rahul Gandhi led the party as it stages protests outside all CBI offices across the country on Friday, demanding reinstatement of CBI director Alok Verma, who has been sent on leave, and seeking an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “destroying” the image of the premier investigating agency.

The Congress, which marched from Dayal Singh College on Lodhi Road to the CBI headquarters about a kilometre away, has termed the move against Verma "illegal and unconstitutional".

Senior Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot, Ahmed Patel, Motilal Vora, Veerappa Moily and Anand Sharma, took part in the march that culminated in a demonstration ahead of the CBI headquarters.

Later, Gandhi courted arrest and was taken to Lodhi police station.

Carrying placards against the prime minister, the protesters walked the distance with scores of police personnel maintaining vigil and camera crews jostling with each other to capture the moment.

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State Congress leaders led demonstrations in their regions against what the Congress described as the "illegal, unconstitutional and illegitimate removal of the CBI director by the Modi-Shah duo that has shamed India and its premier investigative agency".

Alleging that the prime minister is experiencing 'Rafale-o-Phobia', the opposition party said the "demolition of the CBI" was prompted by fears that the director was going to conduct a probe into the fighter jet deal.

(With agency inputs)