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The Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), Mr P.J. Thomas, on Tuesday defended before the Supreme Court his appointment as the CVC and said there was no sanction under the Prevention of Corruption Act to prosecute him in the palmolein import case.
Mr Thomas, in an affidavit submitted to the apex court, the “enquiry about the documents being placed before the three-member (selection) committee (headed by the Prime Minister) may not be relevant in the light of the fact that all the names (including his) on the shortlist (for the CVC's post) were of Secretaries to the Government of India, who, by virtue of their process of selection as Secretaries, are deemed to be of impeccable integrity.”
Besides, Mr Thomas said among those considered for the CVC's post, he was the senior-most bureaucrat and the only person who had served as a Chief Secretary. He also said his name was considered after the CVC had cleared him of any wrongdoing.
Media's role
He said politics has rendered him an “unfortunate victim”, when his integrity was not in doubt.
“Several authorities across the political and the executive spectrum have exonerated me and my only fault probably is that I have not approached the media to carry my side of the story,” he said.
Mr Thomas said as the media was not aware of his side of the story, they proceeded on basis that he has no defence and, as a result, his reputation has taken a beating at their hands.
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