The Centre on Wednesday appointed Praveen Sinha, a 1988-batch Gujarat cadre Indian Police Service officer, the interim director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, The Hindu reported, citing an official order.

Sinha, who is currently an additional director at the investigating agency, will take charge of the CBI temporarily as the government failed to appoint a new director by the end of the incumbent chief RK Shukla’s tenure, according to The Indian Express.

An order issued on Wednesday by the Department of Personnel and Training mentioned that Sinha “shall with immediate effect look after the duties of Director CBI” in place of Shukla “till the appointment of new director CBI, or until further orders, whichever is earlier”, the Deccan Herald reported.

The decision was taken as the high powered panel comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, have not been able to meet to choose the agency’s next chief, according to the Hindustan Times. Multiple reports suggested that the decision got delayed due to the farmers’ protests and that the next permanent chief will be appointed only after the Budget Session of Parliament ends.

Sinha, who joined the CBI in 2018, was earlier an additional secretary in the Central Vigilance Commission and served under multiple designations when he was posted in Gujarat, according to The Indian Express. He supervised investigations into the coal scam cases and is currently leading the probe into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

The outgoing chief, Shukla, was appointed to the post in February 2019 for a tenure of two years, following a spat between the then director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana. Sinha’s appointment would mean that CBI will have an interim chief for the third time in the last five years, according to the Hindustan Times.