Corruption Watch

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[url="http://www.dailypioneer.com/298454/Doubting-Thomas.html"]Doubting Thomas[/url]

It is increasingly becoming untenable for Mr PJ Thomas to continue in office as the Central Vigilance Commissioner. On Monday, a Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice SH Kapadia and Justices KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar made scathing comments on the UPA Government’s decision to appoint Mr Thomas as the CVC, virtually raising a big question mark on his suitability for the post. It is common knowledge that Mr Thomas was named as one of the officials and politicians involved in the palm oil import scandal, better known as the palmolein scam. While it is true that the case is still pending in the courts and it would be unfair to declare him guilty in the absence of a judicial verdict, it cannot be wished away that as of now his record as an IAS officer is neither free of blemish nor unimpeachable. The Opposition had pointed out this aspect when the Government had proposed his name, along with the names of two others, for the CVC’s job. But rather than arrive at a decision through proper consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, which is the prescribed norm, the Government chose to force its nominee on the nation. This need not have been so; the other two officers on the panel had far better records to their credit. No less significant is the fact that Mr Thomas, as Telecom Secretary, had sought to ward off a CVC inquiry into the 2G Spectrum scam — in other words, he had tried to keep the scandal and then Telecom Minister A Raja’s shenanigans under wraps. Surely a bureaucrat who saw nothing wrong with the public exchequer being deprived of Rs 1.76 lakh crore cannot be trusted with ensuring probity in Government. Hence, his credentials are not only suspect but entirely unsuitable for the office of CVC; he is undeserving of this honour and is more than likely to fail in his primary responsibility.

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