CVC in SC: Not corrupt, caught in political crossfire
Chief Vigilance Commissioner P.J. Thomas, facing Supreme Court proceedings for quashing his appointment, in a fresh affidavit on Tuesday made his intention clear that he was not going to buckle under any “political pressure” and blamed both, the UPA and the NDA governments, for placing him in present predicament by keeping Kerala’s palmolein import scam case hanging for past 12 years.
Asserting that he was not “corrupt”, CVC Thomas said he was not a lone officer facing a chargesheet when department of personnel and training (DOPT) empanelled nine IAS officers for selection of CVC in 2008.
“Virtually every single officer in zone of consideration had complaints or chargesheets pending, but it is the CVC that looks into the entire material and decides whether clearance ought to be granted or not to any of them considering their service record,” Thomas stated.
But an impression was created that “my case is unique one and that I alone suffer some taint against my name,” he said.
The affidavit was filed two days ahead of the Thursday’s crucial hearing in his case.
The Chief Vigilance Commissioner submitted that it had become a normal practice nowadays to slap cases against officers in the discharge of their routine duties and many of the cases were “trumped up or politically motivated.”
“In fact in my case, it was observed that the Prime Minister has ordered that in view of the fact that there are no disciplinary proceedings in the case, the request of state (Kerala) government regarding withdrawal of request for sanction of prosecution is noted,” he said quoting from the official records.
The additional consideration for his selection was the fact that as the palmolein case was nearly one-and-half decades old it should not come in the way of “my empanelment.”
“I wish only to add that any officer who discharges his duty honestly could well be in the position I now find my self in. It is very unfortunate that politics has rendered me an unfortunate victim, when admittedly my integrity is not in doubt,” Mr Thomas said.
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Sushma: Won’t file an affidavit on CVC issue
AGE CORRESPONDENT
new delhi
Feb. 1: Senior BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj on Tuesday indicated that she would not file an affidavit, in the case questioning selection of P.J. Thomas as the CVC, in the Supreme Court as there was “no dispute on facts now”. The change of stand comes in the wake of home minister P. Chidambaram clarifying that the selection committee had deliberates on the palmoilen case and decided on the name of Mr Thomas as the CVC. Writing on a micro-blogging website, she said, “The home minister has now admitted that I had raised the palmolein case in the meeting and recorded my disagreement precisely for this reason.”
Later, speaking to the media, Ms Swaraj said after Mr Chidambaram’s statement on the issue, the Centre needs to explain whether Mr Thomas is a person of “impeccable credibility” as was informed by it before the apex court.
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