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Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar was today unanimously chosen the next Chief Vigilance Commissioner, four months after the Supreme Court had quashed the appointment of P.J. Thomas to the post.
Though no official announcement has been made yet, sources said Mr Kumar, who retires as Defence Secretary on July 31, was chosen by consensus by a panel comprising the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Ms Sushma Swaraj.
Mr Kumar is a Haryana cadre IAS officer of 1972 batch. He was Secretary, Defence Production, before becoming the Defence Secretary. He will have a four-year term as prescribed under the CVC Act.
Ms Swaraj, who had opposed in writing the appointment of Mr Thomas as CVC, had no objection to Mr Kumar’s candidature.
“The name has been finalised... I have not raised any objection,” Ms Swaraj told reporters after the 20-minute meeting at the Prime Minister’s official residence but she did not disclose the name.
Sources had said that a list of probable candidates was prepared by the Department of Personnel and Training which placed it before the selection panel.
Those names which figured in the initial list included Mr Pradeep Kumar, former Home Secretary, Mr G.K. Pillai, Mr Bijoy Chatterjee, former Chemicals and Fertilisers Secretary, Mr V.K. Bhasin, former Secretary, Legislative Affairs, Mr M. Ramachandran, former Urban Development Secretary, and Ms Alka Sirohi, Personnel Secretary. Mr Pillai and Ms Sirohi are said to have opted out of the race.
Mr Thomas’ selection in September last had created a major controversy with reports coming out about his facing a charge-sheet in the palmolein import scandal in Kerala.
A war of words erupted between the Government and the Opposition after Ms Swaraj had recorded her dissent to the selection of Mr Thomas, a Kerala cadre officer.
The Supreme Court had on March 3 set aside the appointment of Mr Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner.
In the midst of a raging controversy, the Prime Minister had also accepted responsibility for the selection.
The apex court had termed as “illegal” the September 3, 2010 recommendation for appointment of Mr Thomas as CVC since the high-powered committee did not consider the pending charge-sheet against Mr Thomas in the palmolein import scam
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