Nov. 22: The government’s problems have no end in the Supreme Court: on Monday it questioned the appointment of the central vigilance commissioner, Mr P.J. Thomas, seeking a clarification from the Centre how he would be able to function as a watchdog against corruption when he is facing criminal charges in the decades-old palmolein import scam case.
The Centre, through the attorney-general, Mr Goolam E. Vahavati, defended its decision, saying if the criteria of “impeachable integrity” laid down by the Supreme Court in the Vineet Narain (Jain hawala) case verdict for appointment of CVCs was to be “included”, then even “judicial appointments” would be subject to scrutiny and challenge.
“If this criteria is included, then every judicial appointment will be subject to scrutiny and every constitutional appointment will come under challenge,” Mr Vahanvati said, claiming that legal opinion in the palmolein case was in favour of Mr Thomas.
But a bench comprising Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar was not impressed with the argument of the government’s chief law officer, and said while the court was not against a particular individual it was concerned about the institution of the CVC.