3 Mar : Central Vigilance Commissioner P J Thomas has resigned after the Supreme Court decision to quash his appointment, terming it as illegal, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said on Thursday..
“He has resigned…the Supreme Court has also held his appointment as illegal,” Moily told reporters in New Delhi.
The Supreme Court quashed the appointment of P J Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, saying the recommendation made by the high-powered committee headed by the Prime Minister did not consider the relevant material and as such its advice “does not exist in law”.
The apex court said that if the selection process adversely affects the institution then it is the duty of the authority not to recommend such persons and in the present case, this vital aspect was not taken into account by the HPC.
“In our opinion, CVC is an integrity institution,” the bench said, adding the HPC has to keep in mind the institutional integrity of the CVC while making recommendation for appointment of a candidate to the office.
In a landmark verdict, the Apex court has said any future appointment should not be restricted to civil servants alone but people of impeccable integrity from other fields should also be considered.
The court rejected the contention of Thomas and the government that the appointment of CVC cannot be brought under judicial review and said the legality of the recommendation can very much be reviewed by it.
To a question on the apex court’s rap on the government on Thomas’ appointment, Moily said, “We respect the judgement. Other details we won’t be able to say because we are yet to go through the judgement.”
Shortly after the Supreme Court’s verdict on Thomas, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met Moily to discuss the issue.
Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy was also present.
After a brief meeting with the Prime Minister, Moily and Narayanasamy met Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.