The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday cornered the government for 'defending' Chief Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas in the Supreme Court, asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi as to what was the 'compulsion' to defend the 'tainted' official and attack the upright comptroller and auditor general.
"The CVC is a very important Constitutional position and naturally the position should be held by a person who is absolutely above board. The government is seized of the matter and will deal accordingly," senior NCP leader and Union minister Praful Patel told reporters.
The Central Vigilance Commission has sought a detailed report from the Central Bureau of Investigation over the Centre's interference in its investigation into the coal blocks allocation scam.
The selection committee meeting to chose Central Vigilance Commissioner in September last year did discuss the issue of Palmolein case against P J Thomas, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Monday but parried a question whether a "chargesheeted" person should have been appointed.
CBI has registered 18 FIRs so far in the coal scam.
It revised an order, issued on January 14 setting up a separate mechanism to deal with such complaints on the ground that 'frivolous or vague complaints were also given importance' and that hence it was better to get them scrutinised by a group of secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the new guidelines for the appointment of Central Vigilance Commissioner, following which the government on Wednesday set the ball rolling for choosing a head of the top anti-corruption watchdog after the removal of controversial P J Thomas.The action came a month after the quashing of the appointment of Thomas as CVC by the Supreme Court as he is facing a corruption case.
The advisory sent out to the vigilance officers of banks, public sector undertakings and other government organisations says: "The Commission has come across certain skills and tools that professional organisations, non-profit organisations possess in field of forensic sciences that could be important for investigations."
Officials of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee had hired equipment for overlay works at over 14 times the actual price, an investigation by the central vigilance commission has revealed.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Home Minister P Chidambaram will meet on Monday to decide who will become the next central vigilance commissioner. According to the Supreme Court's instructions, the PM, home minister and the leader of Opposition has to finalise the CVC together. On Thursday, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan held an informal meeting with BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.
As P J Thomas maintained that he has not resigned from the post of central vigilance commissioner, the government on Friday said he no more holds the Constitutional post whether he quits or not. "Where is the question of resigning? There is no need. The Supreme Court itself said it. So there is no question. He cannot continue," said Law Minister M Veerappa Moily. He said at the most, the government would issue a notification saying the post of CVC was vacant.
The SC on Monday transferred the entire Central Bureau of Investigation case file to the CVC.
The Central Vigilance Commission has come out with a stunning report on the "public-private partnership" model of the nexus between corporates, politicians and bureaucrats to perpetrate large-scale corruption.
The CVC had forwarded the case to CBI for probing the alleged irregularities in the coal block allocation process adopted by the Centre and related issues, sources said.
Former Central Board of Direct Taxes chief K V Chowdary and Information Commissioner Vijai Sharma were on Monday appointed Central Vigilance Commissioner and Chief Information Commissioner, posts which have remained vacant for over nine months on which the government drew some flak.
If the UPA or the Opposition wants the CVC out it must use due process of law, not insult and innuendo. Prosecute him if he is guilty, praise him if he is innocent, but at all costs respect the office that he holds, says T V R Shenoy.
President Pratibha Patil cancelled the appointment of P J Thomas on Monday as Central Vigilance Commissioner, 11 days after the Supreme Court quashed his selection by a high-power committee headed by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
Faulting the procedure adopted by the government for divestment of the controversial Mumbai Centaur Hotel property, a Parliamentary Standing Committee has demanded a thorough probe by the Central Vigilance Commission into the deal.
The new Chief Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar has spoken out in his first television interview since taking charge on July 14. In an exclusive interview with CNN-IBN, Kumar made it clear that there was no question of buckling under any kind of political pressure and that the battle against corruption will continue. The excerpts
The Centre on Monday strongly defended the appointment of controversial bureaucrat P J Thomas as the central vigilance commissioner, saying he was an 'outstanding officer' with 'impeccable integrity'. In an affidavit in the Supreme Court cleared by Attorney General G E Vahanvati, the government also said there was no need for 'consensus' of the three-member high powered committee on CVC's appointment.
The government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that once a bureaucrat is given a vigilance nod for appointment as secretary, no further clearance is required for empanelment for appointment as the central vigilance commissioner. "Once a person is appointed as secretary on clearance by the CVC, he can be considered for empanelment and no further inquiry is required," Attorney General G E Vahanvati submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia.
The Central Vigilance Commission has sought information regarding complaints of irregularities committed by the registrar of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said on Friday.
Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas may quit the post in the wake of stinging observations from the Supreme Court on his capacity to supervise the CBI probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari, on Wednesday went against his colleague Sushma Swaraj, over the issue of the appointment of chief vigilance commissioner P J Thomas. Swaraj had earlier said that after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accepted the blame for the appointment after the apex court struck it down, the issue was now over and it was time to move on.
"If Swaraj files her affidavit before the court and exposes Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram, they would be stripped before the court," Vittal said.
Controversial Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas is likely to continue at least till January 27, the date fixed by the Supreme Court for hearing a plea seeking his removal from the key post, sources in Congress said. The ruling party also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party for trying to give its 'own verdict' on the CVC issue even before the apex court could decide the matter."The BJP can say anything. BJP wants an interim action," said a Cong leader.
Citing overlapping of functions, a parliamentary committee on Monday recommended integrating Central Vigilance Commission and anti-corruption wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation to work directly under the command and control of Lokpal to deal with corruption cases.
Irked by delay in response to queries raised by it, the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) may summon officials of Union and State governments in connection with alleged financial irregularities in different Commonwealth Games related projects.
Normally, it is required by the CBI to complete an investigation within one year of registration of a case.
The pay scales of heads and members of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) have been revised.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are "morally responsible" for the Supreme Court ruling declaring the appointment of CVC P J Thomas as illegal.
Even as the United Progressive Alliance government continues to be in a tizzy over the Central Vigilance C's appointment, sources say that PJ Thomas has refused to quit, primarily because he feels that he is an honest man and because as the central vigilance commissioner he enjoys immunity against prosecution, particularly in corruption cases.
The government placed the file relating to the appointment of P J Thomas as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner in the Supreme Court, which questioned as to how he would function in the post in view of a pending criminal case against him.
Former central vigilance commissioner P J Thomas has decided to move the Supreme Court seeking review by a Constitution bench of its March 3 judgment quashing his appointment, claiming that judiciary has no right to decide his eligibility for the post without prior reference from the President.
Vigilance Commissioner Suresh N Patel was on Wednesday appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner, a year after the post fell vacant.
In order to reduce unnecessary delays in granting a sanction for prosecution against officials to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Central Vigilance Commission has framed a new three-week deadline for ministries and departments to decide on the issue as compared to the earlier three month timeline.
Defending his appointment as central vigilance commissioner, P J Thomas on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that there was no sanction to prosecute him in the Palmolein import case. In an affidavit, submitted to the apex court, Thomas said that his name was considered for empanelment for the post after the Central Vigilance Commission had given a clearance for it. He also said he was the senior-most bureaucrat to be considered for the CVC's job.
In a bid to ensure transparency in government projects, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has made mandatory an integrity pact between the Delhi government and a vendor in all contracts exceeding Rs 10 crore, officials said on Tuesday.
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