✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Rakesh Asthana

Rakesh Asthana photo for featured biography, wiki and celebrities profileFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Rakesh Asthana Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 6, 2026 • 4 min read

Request CorrectionClaim Profile

Quick Info

Date of birth9 July 1961

Age63 Years

BirthplaceRanchi (now in Jharkhand) Bihar

ProfessionIPS Officer

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

FamilyFather - H. R. Asthana; Son - Ankush Asthana; a daughter

Rakesh Asthana Biography

Rakesh Asthana is a senior Indian Police Service officer of the 1984 Gujarat cadre who has led multiple high-profile investigations and held top security,C

Early life and background

Rakesh Asthana was born on 9 July 1961 in Ranchi (then Bihar, now Jharkhand). He attended Netarhat Vidyalaya for his school education, completed his intermediate studies at St. John's College, Agra in 1978, and went on to earn a Master’s degree in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. Early in his career he also taught history at St. Xavier’s College in Ranchi.

Career

Asthana joined the Indian Police Service in 1984 and was allotted the Gujarat cadre. Over the decades that followed he served in a variety of policing and investigative roles at state and central levels. In Gujarat he held senior posts including Inspector General of Police for the Vadodara Range and Police Commissioner of Vadodara City and Surat.

At the Central Bureau of Investigation he rose through ranks to serve as Superintendent of Police, Deputy Inspector General and Additional Director before being appointed Special Director of the CBI in October 2017. His career has included leadership of several major criminal probes. In 1995 he was a member of the special investigation team for the Purulia arms drop inquiry. He led the probing team for the 2002 Sabarmati Express fire incident in Godhra and was involved in the investigation of the Ahmedabad bombings of 26 July 2008.

Asthana later headed the CBI special investigation team looking into alleged loan fraud involving Vijay Mallya and was associated with the probe into the fodder scam that led to charges and arrest of Lalu Prasad Yadav. He was also involved in the investigation of Asaram Bapu and his son Narayan Sai in cases brought by their accusers.

In 2017–2018 Asthana and then-CBI chief Alok Verma were at the centre of a public dispute that led to both officers being placed on leave in January 2019 by the Central Vigilance Commission and the government. After the matter was investigated, a CBI team cleared Asthana in 2020 and that finding was accepted by a Special CBI Court.

In August 2020 Asthana was appointed Director General of the Border Security Force and was given additional charge of the Narcotics Control Bureau. He also served as Director-General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security up to 31 July 2021. In April 2021 CBI action under his tenure was reported in relation to a bribery trap at the Directorate General of Mines Safety in Dhanbad.

Shortly before his scheduled retirement, on 27 July 2021 the government approved an inter-cadre deputation and an extension of service so Asthana could take charge as Commissioner of Police, Delhi, a posting extending up to 31 July 2022 or until further orders. His appointment required relaxation of standard retirement rules as a special case in the public interest.

Public profile

Asthana has been recognised within the police service with the Police Medal for Meritorious Services in 2001 and the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Services in 2009. He is known for leading sensitive and high‑visibility investigations and for moving between important state and central law enforcement assignments.

His public remarks have at times attracted attention. While serving as a special investigating officer for the Narcotics Control Bureau he commented on drug networks and their perceived links beyond India. He has described Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel as his ideal.

Controversies

Asthana's name surfaced in media reporting tied to handwritten entries in business leaders' records in an investigation linked to Sterling Biotech; his name did not appear in the FIR in that matter. The legal and administrative dispute surrounding his appointment as CBI special director in 2017 drew scrutiny from an NGO and the courts. The public conflict with the CBI's director in 2018 and the subsequent leave in 2019 were significant moments in his career; the later CBI probe cleared him in 2020.

Personal life

Asthana is married and has two children, a son named Ankush Asthana and a daughter. His father, H. R. Asthana, worked as a physics teacher.

Latest updates

After leading the Border Security Force and holding the DG post at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Asthana was appointed Commissioner of Police, Delhi in July 2021 through an inter‑cadre deputation and an extension of service beyond his superannuation date.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Rakesh Asthana, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

Accuracy

Request a Correction

Tell us what needs to be updated and share a reliable source so the editorial team can review it.

Ownership

Claim This Profile

If this profile is about you or your client, send your contact details and verification context.

◈

Recent Work

Director General, Border Security Force

Appointed as the 27th Director General of the Border Security Force and given additional charge of the Narcotics Control Bureau in August 2020.

2020
Director-General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security

Served as Director-General up to 31 July 2021.

2021
Commissioner of Police, Delhi

Appointed on deputation and granted an extension of service to take charge as Delhi Police Commissioner from July 27, 2021 up to 31 July 2022 or until further orders.

2021
✦

Career Highlights

  1. 1984‑batch Indian Police Service officer, Gujarat cadre
  2. Inspector General of Police, Vadodara Range; Police Commissioner of Vadodara City and Surat
  3. Special Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (appointed October 2017)
  4. Led investigations including Purulia arms drop, Godhra Sabarmati Express fire, 2008 Ahmedabad bombings, fodder scam and probe into Vijay Mallya
  5. Director General, Border Security Force (2020); Additional charge of Narcotics Control Bureau
  6. Director-General, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security until July 2021
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

People Also Search For

EntrepreneursCelebrities biographies
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Rakesh Asthana born?

Rakesh Asthana was born on 9 July 1961.

What is Rakesh Asthana known for?

Rakesh Asthana is known for iPS Officer.

What is Rakesh Asthana’s marital status?

Rakesh Asthana's marital status is listed as Married.