Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | SC notice to vigilance boss

SC notice to vigilance boss

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Dec 6, 2010   modified Modified on Dec 6, 2010


The Supreme Court today asked central vigilance commissioner P.J. Thomas to explain why his appointment as head of the country’s top anti-corruption watchdog shouldn’t be scrapped even as the embattled bureaucrat hung on to his post.

The notices to Thomas and the central government were a first from the court, which had so far only questioned Thomas’s appointment as CVC for his alleged involvement in a palm oil import case.

The vigilance boss appeared to welcome the notice.

“I am told that the Supreme Court has issued a notice. I am glad that the court has given me an opportunity to present my case,” a PTI report quoted him as saying.

The government, however, seemed to have dropped its combative stand, in a far cry from an earlier hearing when the attorney-general had flung the “impeccable integrity” logic back at the court, saying every judicial appointment would then be subject to “scrutiny”.

Today, attorney-general G.E. Vahanvati refused to accept the court notice on Thomas’s behalf but accepted the one for the Union government, hinting at a possible rethink on taking on the court over appointments perceived to be questionable.

The case will now come up for further hearing on January 27, after all sides have responded to the petitions challenging Thomas’s appointment.

The petitions had alleged that the government had appointed Thomas vigilance commissioner despite allegations of involvement in the palm oil import scam in Kerala as food secretary and his role in the 2G spectrum controversy.

Before he was appointed CVC on September 7, 2010, Thomas was telecom secretary and it was during his tenure that the spectrum allotment decision was made.

Today’s notices followed a scrutiny of the files the court had asked for to see “whether the outstanding civil servant criteria” had been followed in appointing Thomas.

The three-judge bench said it had seen the files regarding Thomas’s appointment and wanted to decide the matter as early as possible.

“We have gone through the file. We will keep the matter for final hearing,” the bench headed by Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia said.

“Let them file their affidavit,” the judges added, asking the parties to file their replies and counter replies and other written submissions by the next date of hearing.

At an earlier hearing, the court had expressed doubts whether Thomas could “objectively” monitor the probe into the telecom scam.

Following the court’s comments, Thomas had volunteered to “recuse” himself from supervising the CBI probe into the spectrum case, but has so far avoided stepping down.

Once appointed, a CVC can only be impeached like a judge, a long-drawn process that also needs a political consensus to push through such a motion in Parliament.

A spokesperson for the ruling Congress said Thomas was likely to continue as vigilance chief till at least January 27 and slammed the Opposition BJP for trying to give its “own verdict”.

“The BJP can say anything. The BJP wants an interim action even before the Supreme Court can decide the case,” Abhishek Singhvi told reporters at an AICC briefing.

“I condemn those political entities and parties, who are giving their own verdict before the Supreme Court… and are thereby trying to act as the Super Supreme Court,” Singhvi added. “This is extremely unfortunate.”


The Telegraph, 7 December, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101207/jsp/nation/story_13268478.jsp


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close