Don't have bio-data of former CVC P J Thomas: Kerala Govt

New Delhi, May 23 (PTI) The Kerala government has said
that it does not have the bio-data submitted by the former
Indian Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas at the time
of his appointment to the post.
The case relates to an RTI applicant, who sought to
know from the Indian Department of Personnel (DOPT) whether
Thomas was named as an accused in the Palmolein oil import
case in the period between 1991-93 and whether the fact was
omitted from his bio-data and reasons for "hiding the fact
from the selection-committee" which approved his name as CVC.
In response to the RTI filed by S C Agrawal, the DOPT
said, "Bio data as reflected in the ER sheet is generated on
the basis of inputs provided by the State Government."
"The responsibility of the correctness of information
available on the ER sheet lies with the State Government where
the officer is posted and the individual officer concerned,"
it further said.
The Department forwarded the questions to Kerala
Government which, in its response said, "The undersigned is
not in a position to furnish the details...since the bio-data
said to have been filed by Thomas, IAS, at the time of his
appointment as Chief (sic) Vigilance Commissioner is not
available with the State Government."
The ER sheet, which was placed before the CVC
selection committee comprising Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram and Leader of
opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, did not mention the
pending palmolein case against Thomas who was appointed the
CVC on September 7, 2010.
Swaraj, who had opposed the appointment of Thomas, had
alleged that the files circulated before the selection
committee did not make a mention about the Palmolein case in
which he is listed as an accused.
Thomas is facing a corruption case in a Kerala court
relating to oil palmolein import from Malaysia during the UDF
government headed by late K Karunakaran in 1991.
The 60-year-old bureaucrat, whose appointment as
Central Vigilance Commissioner was set aside by the Indian
Supreme Court in March this year, was the Food Secretary of
the Kerala government at that time.
In December 2006, when Congress leader Oommen Chandy
was the Kerala chief minister, the state government had
decided to close the case. However, the decision was rescinded
after Achuthanandan became the chief minister in May 2006 as
he had vigorously pursued the case from the start.