New Delhi:
PJ Thomas hasn't agreed to do the government the favour it desperately awaits. Sources say he has refused to quit as the country' s Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).
The CVC cannot be dismissed, he has to be impeached by Parliament. So, the government is now hoping that the Supreme Court will nudge Mr Thomas out of office by rejecting his appointment.
It's an odd position for the government which has so far defended Mr Thomas vigorously in court, even as judges in successive hearings made it clear that Mr Thomas' selection as the country's senior-most officer in charge of fighting corruption was somewhat confounding.
That's because Mr Thomas has been named in a corruption case dating back to 1991-92 when, as Food Secretary in Kerala, he sanctioned the import of Palmolein edible oil from Malaysia at exorbitant rates.
In September, Mr Thomas was appointed CVC by a three-member committee headed by the Prime Minister. The Home Minister sided with the PM. Sushma Swaraj, the Leader of the Oppositon, did not. She publicly protested against the PM's choice.
Her dissent is on record - the file on Mr Thomas' appointment has been accessed by Subhash Chandra Agrawal, who used the Right to Information act to scrutinize the documents.
The papers show at a meeting on September 3, 2010, "the PM as Head of panel signed note recommending Thomas' name to the President." Ms Swaraj wrote, "I disagree" and the biodata included for Mr Thomas made no reference to the corruption charges against him.
The Supreme Court asked yesterday if documents on Mr Thomas' case were presented to the committee. When Attorney General Goolam E. Vahanvati said they hadn't, the judges seemed displeased. "When (Thomas) is appointed as CVC, are these facts relevant before the committee? Will it not vitiate the decision of appointing Thomas as CVC?" the court asked.