No question of quitting: PJ Thomas

Setting aside all speculations, Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) PJ Thomas on Wednesday said he is not resigning from his office over 2G spectrum allocation scam .

“There is no question of quitting. I have been appointed CVC by the Government of India and am continuing as CVC,” Thomas told reporters here.

The Union Government on Wednesday assured the Supreme Court Thomas would not supervise the Central Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry into country’s biggest scam.

The government assurance came a day after the apex court had said it might not be appropriate for Thomas to supervise the CBI probe into the 2G scandal.

” To maintain with the highest tradition of the country, Thomas has offered to rescue himself from the matter,” Solicitor General Gopal Subramanuium told a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly.

The two judges on Tuesday had questioned the CVC’s credibility as head of the anti-corruption watchdog and his ability to oversee the probe into the scam.

“The CVC was telecom secretary and justified the action (specturm allotment) that is now subject to scrutiny by this court and the CBI. It would be difficult for him to objectively supervise It,” the apex court had observed.

The government’s latest statement meant that 60-year-old PJ Thomas would not quit now from the CVC as many speculated for past weeks after the court’s adverse comments and protests from the Opposition parties.

Earlier SC Chief Justice SH Kapadia had also questioned the appointment of tainted bureaucrat as the CVC.

The former Telecom Secretary was appointed to the CVC’s post by a three-member panel headed by Prime Minister Manhoman Singh.