IAS vs IPS: Kerala in the middle of an administrative strife
Most damaging of all accusations against State Vigilance director Thomas was alleged acquisition of 150 acres of forestland in Karnataka, which he had not included in his wealth declaration.
a private firm named Ezra, whose two other directors are Israeli citizens. He has also not taken government permission to be the director of a private company. Refuting these charges as concocted by vested interests who want to see the back of Jacob Thomas, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan categorically said there was no question of removing him on the basis of media reports. However, he promised to look into the allegations and said if they were proved, he would take appropriate action. The Chief Minister may have put to rest all speculation about the fate of the Vigilance Director for the time being. But the apprehensions of IAS officers continue to haunt the Secretariat. They feel insecure as long as Jacob Thomas continues in the post of Director, Vigilance. There is a reason for that. A case in point is the much talked about palm-olein oil import scam during the late Congress leader K. Karunakaran-led UDF government of the 1990s.
Three senior IAS officers, former additional chief secretary Zacharia Mathew, former managing director of Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation Jiji Thomson and state food secretary P.J. Thomas were implicated in the case. Thomas later on became Vigilance Commissioner at the Centre, which led to yet another controversy. Among them, Zacharia Mathew had an impeccable record and was considered the most upright officer of his time. Still he was dragged into the palm-olein case, which practically ruined his and his family’s life. While his wife committed suicide, Zacharia Mathew too had a miserable end. Present day IAS officers point to this past to justify their actions; be it threatening to go on strike or delaying putting signatures on files approved by their political masters who come and go. They have reasons to fear.