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

The case relates to an RTI applicant, who sought to know from the 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 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 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 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 However, the decision was rescinded after Achuthanandan became the chief minister in May 2006 as he had vigorously pursued the case from the start