However, there are strong indications that he will either have to let go of post, or face strong court strictures.
The future course of action on the fate of Chief Vigilance Commissioner PJ Thomas is still shrouded in mystery as he has not indicated his intentions to resign from the post ahead of the Supreme Court hearing on Monday. The apex court will be hearing a public interest litigation against his appointment as CVC.
Despite well-placed sources in the ruling UPA confirming that there was pressure on the CVC, Thomas has been reluctant to put in his papers. “I am totally clear. My conscious is clear. I am continuing as CVC,” he said.
At the same time, a well-placed government source said that Thomas’ resignation was only a matter of time.
“There are few options left for Thomas. He will have to resign before the hearing or else he may face the ignominy of strong court strictures against him,” the source added.
Significantly, there has bee a shift in the thinking of UPA about Thomas’ future. Only two days back, senior government sources had undertaken a fire-fighting exercise to convey that the Kerala cadre IAS officer had not been held guilty in the Palolmolein oil purchase case.
The source had painstakingly explained that the case against Thomas was “politically motivated” as it had come up during the Left Democratic Front Government’s regime in Kerala and was aimed at the former chief minister K Karunakaran. The Congress-led UDA Government had subsequently, during its 2001-06 tenure, decided to drop the case.
Explaining nuances of the case, the source said that it was still pending trial. “For the last 19 years, Thomas has been unable to prove his innocence or find a forum where he can present his side of the case,” the source added.
The government’s attempt to project Thomas innocent has taken a beating after the disclosure of certain documents on a private TV channel related to his alleged involvement.
The documents show that Thomas, as Kerala food secretary in 1991, had written to the centre seeking permission for direct import of 15,000 tonnes of Palmolein, nine days before the state cabinet actually took the decision.
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