Kerala Govt persists in pursuing Jacob Thomas; seeks UPSC intervention over unauthorized books.
The Kerala Government has taken steps to approach the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) regarding former Director General of Police (DGP) Jacob Thomas, demanding action for writing books without proper permission. A deputy secretary-level official will be sent to Delhi to deliver the necessary documents to the central recruitment agency. As Thomas has already retired, the government is unable to take departmental action against him.
The UPSC’s involvement is crucial since Thomas was appointed as an IPS officer by the agency, necessitating their permission for any disciplinary measures. The State government pursued this matter through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, following which the Home Ministry instructed the State to submit relevant documents through the UPSC’s single window system by June 15.
Thomas came under scrutiny for his book ‘Sravukalkoppam Neenthumbol’ (Swimming with the sharks), which caused significant unrest among authorities. During his eventful tenure in various Kerala posts, he was suspended twice for publishing this book.
The recent action against Jacob Thomas pertains to his books ‘Karyavum Karanangalum’ and ‘Sravukalkkoppam Neenthumbol’ published in 2017. The former was released by CPM leader M A Baby, while the latter was intended to be released by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan but faced cancellation. Subsequently, Thomas was suspended after delivering a controversial speech during Anti-Corruption Day. He became a BJP candidate in the 2021 State election following his retirement.
Despite retiring three years ago, Thomas remains the target of the State’s pursuit. Notably, there have been no inquiries or actions against M Sivsankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, who published a book shortly after being released from jail for his involvement in a major gold smuggling racket.
Furthermore, an inquiry is ongoing against Thomas regarding alleged irregularities in the purchase of a dredger during his tenure as Director of the Department of Ports a decade ago. Several IAS officials assigned to investigate the matter have retired without progress. The case has now been handed over to Sarada Muraleedharan, the Additional Chief Secretary in the Local-Self Government department, who has been given three months to submit the inquiry report.
Additionally, Thomas has received a charge memo accusing him of accepting the “News Maker” award from a news channel, with an impending investigation expected in this regard. Moreover, his retirement benefits have been withheld pending further action.
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