President Pratibha Patil on Monday night cancelled the appointment of P.J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner, 11 days after the Supreme Court quashed his selection by a high-power committee headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In a brief statement, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said, “The President has signed the warrant of cancellation of appointment of P.J. Thomas as CVC today [on Monday].”
The court, in the March 3 judgment, said the recommendation made by the committee did not consider the charge sheet in a corruption case pending against Mr. Thomas.
The Department of Personnel and Training sent a note to the President after obtaining a copy of the court order. With the cancellation of Mr. Thomas' appointment, the government can now proceed with the selection of a new CVC.
The announcement from the Rashtrapati Bhavan came even as he was preparing to approach the court seeking a review of its judgment.
