New Delhi:
The government ran into another controversy today over its latest stand on the appointment of PJ Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).
In the Supreme Court today, the government was asked if papers related to the chargesheet against Mr. Thomas in an edible oil scam were circulated among the three-members of the committee that appointed Mr. Thomas. The Attorney General, GE Vahanvati, said the documents had not been presented to the Home Minister, the Prime Minister, and Sushma Swaraj, who as Leader of the Opposition, has a say in deciding who will be CVC.
Mr Vahanvati's remarks were interpreted by the media to mean that the government's stand in court is that the PM was not aware of the case against Mr. Thomas when he sanctioned his appointment as CVC in November, 2010.
Sushma Swaraj responded that this was incorrect. ""I personally brought this to the notice of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister... now I've decided to file an affidavit before the Supreme Court." (Watch)
Addressing reporters later, Mr. Vahanvati clarified that the committee may have discussed the case orally, and that when he raised that point in court, he was told by the judges that it was not relevant.
Mr. Thomas' appointment is being heard by the Supreme Court on the basis of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Prashant Bhushan.
In recent months, the Supreme Court has expressed its concern over Mr. Thomas' appointment.
In 1991-92, Mr. Thomas was the Food Secretary in Kerala and allegedly allowed the import of Palmolein or edible oil from Malaysia at prices that were higher than the market rate. That decision reportedly cost the government close to Rs. 20 crore.
The case in the Supreme Court also alleges that as CVC, Mr. Thomas faces a massive conflict of interest because while he was Telecom Secretary, he signed off on decisions that contributed to the 2 G spectrum scam - estimated to be worth Rs. 1.76 lakh crore by the government's auditor. Mr. Thomas has recused himself from monitoring the investigation into the scam.