Conscience is clear, CVC says

Central Vigilance Commissioner PJ Thomas on Thursday sought to clear his name by saying his “conscience” was clear, but government sources said the issue was not about Thomas’ integrity but a pending chargesheet against the man whose job it is to punish the corrupt.

Central Vigilance Commissioner PJ Thomas on Thursday sought to clear his name by saying his “conscience” was clear, but government sources said the issue was not about Thomas’ integrity but a pending chargesheet against the man whose job it is to punish the corrupt.

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“I am morally clear. My conscience is very clear. I am continuing as CVC,” Thomas told reporters on Thursday. Asked about his possible resignation, Thomas said that was a speculative question. “I do not have to answer it”.

The Supreme Court is slated to hear the petition challenging his appointment on Monday.

The Opposition kept up the pressure against Thomas. Senior BJP leader LK Advani said the appointment of a person chargesheeted in a corruption case “completely demolished the credibility of an institution”. Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari refused to comment.

With the government clear that the CVC’s resignation would not convince the Opposition to allow Parliament to function, sources said Thomas could resign before Monday’s hearing if he believed the court would take a dim view of his continuation.

For a low-profile bureaucrat who was given the key post at the anti-corruption watchdog without his asking, Thomas is pained to be the centre of a controversy that, on occasions, seems to question his integrity.

Thomas, as well as his supporters among IAS officers from Kerala, have cited a vigilance clearance from the CVC in 2007 to support his clean record.