An uneasy calm prevails in the corridors of power in Kerala these days. Even two months after the IAS lobby threatened to go on mass casual leave in protest against the “highhandedness” of the State Vigilance director, Jacob Thomas, there is an air of mistrust among top bureaucrats. While the IAS officers see IPS cadre Jacob Thomas as the villain of the piece, the Left Front government, especially Marxist Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, is solidly behind the Vigilance Director. Thomas is charged with a deliberate attempt to implicate IAS officers in vigilance cases. What prompted IAS officers to plot such a strike was the Vigilance action against the additional chief secretary in the Industrial Department, Paul Antony. Before Antony, Vigilance had taken action against additional chief secretaries, Dr K.M. Abraham and Tom Jose. Paul Antony’s crime was that he had signed the appointment order of one Sudhir Nambiar, who turned out to be a close relative of the then Industries Minister, E.P. Jayarajan, who was subsequently forced to quit on allegations of nepotism. Since the case was referred to the Vigilance Department, it filed an FIR against Paul Antony. All that Antony did was sign the file which was approved by the minister. But once an FIR was filed, Antony remains an accused till the case is resolved. But the case may not come before the court in the near future and the FIR will hang on Antony’s head like the proverbial sword of Damocles. This, the IAS officers believe, is a deliberate attempt by the IPS lobby, of which DGP Jacob Thomas is the most visible face, to discredit honest officers.
Jacob Thomas, who was in the doghouse during the previous United Democratic Front government led by Congress, found favour with the LDF and assumed charge as Vigilance Director with much fanfare last June. Ironically, the UDF government had removed him from that very post following certain “embarrassing” decisions taken by Thomas. During that tenure, Jacob was responsible for the raid against a former PWD secretary, T.O. Sooraj, an action which had surprised the UDF government. However, a remorseless Thomas, while taking charge this time said his target was to set up a creative vigilance that would “avert chances of corruption”. He then created a flutter by pulling out yellow and red cards from his pocket to indicate that those indulging in corruption will have to “face the music” and hence will not get away that easily. But once he started pulling out those red cards more against top level IAS officers rather than tainted politicians, of which many belong to the ruling CPM itself, many suspected his real intentions. Most of the civil servants saw it as a blatant case of vendetta since they had levelled serious allegations of corruption against the Vigilance Director himself, to which the government of the time has turned blind eye.
Refuting charges against Jacob Thomas as concocted by vested interests who want to see the back of him, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan categorically said there was no question of removing him on the basis of media reports.
Among the charges was Thomas’ mishandling of certain dealings while heading the Port Trust which cost the state exchequer over Rs 50 crore. But the most damaging of all accusations was acquisition of about 150 acres of forestland in nearby Karnataka state, which he had not included in his wealth declaration. What had irked the IAS lobby was the silence of the LDF government on these allegations. But last week, when an Opposition MLA levelled fresh charges of corruption against Jacob Thomas, the Chief Minister himself had to rise in defence of his Vigilance Director in the Assembly. Congress MLA M. Vincent, who raised the issue in the House, alleged that the Vigilance Director, while on a crusade against corruption himself was indulging in the same malpractices. According to Vincent, Jacob Thomas had bought 50 acres of land in village Settur of Tamil Nadu’s Rajapalayam, Virudhunagar district, in the name of a private company. This has not been disclosed to the government. This deal was allegedly done while Thomas was serving as Commissioner of Police, Kochi. Thomas had, Vincent alleged, bought the land as director of a private firm named Ezra, whose two other directors are Israeli citizens. He has also not taken government permission to be the director of a private company. Refuting these charges as concocted by vested interests who want to see the back of Jacob Thomas, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan categorically said there was no question of removing him on the basis of media reports. However, he promised to look into the allegations and said if they were proved, he would take appropriate action. The Chief Minister may have put to rest all speculation about the fate of the Vigilance Director for the time being. But the apprehensions of IAS officers continue to haunt the Secretariat. They feel insecure as long as Jacob Thomas continues in the post of Director, Vigilance. There is a reason for that. A case in point is the much talked about palm-olein oil import scam during the late Congress leader K. Karunakaran-led UDF government of the 1990s.
Three senior IAS officers, former additional chief secretary Zacharia Mathew, former managing director of Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Jiji Thomson and state food secretary P.J. Thomas were implicated in the case. Thomas later on became Vigilance Commissioner at the Centre, which led to yet another controversy. Among them, Zacharia Mathew had an impeccable record and was considered the most upright officer of his time. Still he was dragged into the palm-olein case, which practically ruined his and his family’s life. While his wife committed suicide, Zacharia Mathew too had a miserable end. Present day IAS officers point to this past to justify their actions; be it threatening to go on strike or delaying putting signatures on files approved by their political masters who come and go. They have reasons to fear.