Charges against Thomas were discussed by panel: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI - Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Monday that allegations against Central Vigilance Commissioner P.J. Thomas were discussed in the Sep 4, 2010, meeting of the selection committee which included him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj.

Chidambaram, who was addressing a press conference here to release the report card of his ministry for January, refrained from further comments, pleading the case is sub judice.

Chidambaram said: “A bulk of the time (of the committee) was spent on discussion on palmolein case (the case of import of palm oil from Malaysia by the Kerala government when Thomas was state food secretary in the 1990s). She (Sushma Swaraj) made her points.”

“I am horrified that cases actively heard by court are widely discussed by (opposition) political leaders,” he said.

The Supreme Court has been hearing a petition questioning the appointment of Thomas as the CVC since his name figured in the first charge sheet filed in the palm oil import case.

On Jan 27, the court asked Attorney General G. Vahanvati whether the process for selecting the corruption watchdog’s chief was vitiated by the withholding of information from the CVC selection committee that a charge sheet was pending in Kerala’s palm oil import case against Thomas.

The attorney general earlier told the court that the files regarding the cases against Thomas were not circulated at the selection panel’s meeting.

Chidmabaram said that the attorney general did not say that “the matter was not discussed at the meeting”.

Thomas was appointed the CVC after the three-member selection committee Sep 4, 2010, took 2-1 majority decision in his favour. While the prime minister and Chidambaram supported Thomas for the appointment, Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party recorded her dissent.

Asked whether Thomas was not charged in a corruption case, the home minister said: “It was brought before the selection committee.”

“It was also pointed out that no sanction of prosecution against Thomas was given by the National Democratic Alliance government during 1999-2004 and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments since 2004,” he added.

The CVC, which later heard the issue Sep 20, 2007, and Oct 6, 2008, had given a “vigilance clearance” to Thomas and to another officer, the home minister added.

“The meeting (of selection committee Sep 4, 2010) discussed the name of Thomas and other names in the panel,” he said.

“There was disagreement (by Sushma Swaraj) only because there was a discussion on the issue,” Chidambaram said.