Safeguards for Honest Civil Servants

The media in Kerala, both print and electronic, competed for “breaking news” on the infamous bar scam case in the state in the last week of October. Politicians, including ministers, attacked an upright and honest senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of 1985 batch belonging to Kerala cadre. The officer (Jacob Thomas) was attacked for revealing truth when the media sought his opinion on the verdict of an anti-corruption court. The court rejected the contentious finding of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) that there was not enough evidence to prosecute Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani in the bar licence renewal bribery scandal.

Thomas, during his tenure with the VACB as Additional Director General of Police, took a tough stand in the bar scam case. Just before the first report was to be submitted, he was moved out on the pretext that he had been promoted to the DGP rank. In his place, Vinson M Paul was assigned responsibility of the case. Paul made the investigating officer prepare the report indicating that there was no incriminating evidence against the accused.