M A I N   N E W S

Thomas defends his appointment
Says all eight IAS officers clubbed with him
faced corruption charges
R Sedhuraman
Legal Correspondent

It is routine for officers in the discharge of their duties to have cases slapped on them, many of which are trumped up or politically motivated.  — PJ Thomas, CVC

Vindicated, Sushma won’t move SC With Home Minister P Chidambram lending credence to Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj’s claim that the palmolein oil case involving PJ Thomas was discussed by the three-member selection committee comprising him, Sushma and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the BJP leader decided to not proceed with an affidavit in the SC to challenge the contention of Attorney General GN Vahnavati.

New Delhi, February 1
In a startling revelation, the embattled Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) PJ Thomas today informed the Supreme Court that all eight IAS officers clubbed with him for the purpose of vigilance clearance in 2008 were facing corruption charges.

Giving the list of the nine IAS officers of 1972-73 batches, Thomas said the list “clearly shows that virtually every single officer in the zone of consideration had complaints or chargesheets pending” against them. “But it is the CVC that looks into the entire material and decides whether clearance ought to be granted or not. An impression has been created that my case is a unique one, and that I’m alone having a taint on my name,” he said.

“Clearly, it is a routine for officers in the discharge of their duties to have cases slapped on them, many of which are trumped up or politically motivated. In an environment where a bureaucrat bears the brunt of protests against government action, it is necessary that an objective view be taken of how we officers function,” Thomas said.

The CVC has given these details in an additional affidavit filed in response to the SC notice on a bunch of PILs, challenging his appointment despite the fact that a chargesheet was pending against him for alleged financial irregularities in the import of palm oil when he was the Food Secretary in Kerala in early 1990s and for his reported cover-up of the 2008 2G scam as the Telecom Secretary in 2009-10. The CVC clearance mentioned by Thomas pertains to the exercise undertaken by the Centre for the Secretary-level appointments.

“It can hardly be contended that I am deemed fit to be the Secretary to the Government of India but not to hold my present post as the CVC,” Thomas said in the affidavit.

The list of nine IAS officers given by Thomas are: BR Kundal (chargesheeted for misappropriation of sale proceeds of essential commodities), Parminder Singh (CBI FIR for corruption), V Jayashankar (three complaints, including corruption), PJ Thomas (chargesheet in palmolein case), VS Dhumal (DA case), Tejinder Kaur (transfer of government land to cricket association), Ashok Kumar (corrupt practices), Bijoy Chatterjee (non-submission of asset statement) and Brajabeharai Mahapatra (corruption and other complaints).

The CVC cleared all of them, except Parminder Singh, Thomas said.

During the last hearing, a Bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia wanted to know whether Thomas had experience in vigilance. Thomas said as the Chief Secretary in Kerala - from Seprember 18, 2007 to January 22, 2009 - he was in charge of the vigilance bureau and the police department. He was also preparing the annual confidential reports of the DGP and the Director of Vigilance.