NEW DELHI | Mon Dec 6, 2010 3:40pm IST
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the appointment of the country's top anti-corruption official, local media and a lawyer said, in a victory for the opposition and another blow for an embattled government that has become mired in corruption charges.
The government must explain why P.J. Thomas, who faces criminal charges over a 1992 fraud case, should keep his job, the court said. Opposition politicians have demanded his resignation as part of protests that have stalled parliament for over three weeks.
Thomas was appointed Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) in September by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but without the support of the leader of the opposition. Thomas was the former telecoms secretary while an alleged $39 billion telecoms scam took place. He has also been asked to respond to the court by January 27.
"The Supreme Court has issued notices to the central government as well as to Mr Thomas on the matter seeking the quashing of his appointment," Prashant Bhushan, the lawyer who filed the petition against Thomas, said outside the court.
Thomas, who is wanted in connection with a investigation into palmolein import fraud while an official in the southern Kerala state government, has so far rebuffed calls for his resignation despite the mounting embarrassment for the government.
Last month, the Supreme Court took the unprecedented step of calling on Singh to explain his failure to probe the 2G telecoms scam.
Parliament has been stalled for 17 consecutive days by opposition members demanding a joint enquiry into the telecoms scam, seriously damaging the ruling Congress party's attempts to push through reforms and debate economic liberalisation.
(Reporting by C.J. Kuncheria; Writing by Henry Foy, editing by Miral Fahmy)
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