Kerala’s Congress-led UDF Government on Wednesday decided to promote controversial IPS official, Inspector General Tomin J Thachankery who had been facing several cases and had undergone suspension over an unauthorised Gulf tour, as Additional DGP. But Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said he was not aware of the promotion.
The decision to promote Thachankery and another IG as ADGPs was taken at meeting of the State Cabinet after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy introduced the matter as an out-of-agenda point despite the fact that a screening committee including the Home Minister, Chief Secretary and DGP had decided to leave it to the Centre to take a decision on the promotion issue.
The Government's decision has come at a time when a case pertaining to alleged amassment of wealth disproportionate to Thachankery's known sources of income is pending before the Special Vigilance Court in Thrissur. The screening committee had opted to seek the Centre's opinion on the promotion issue as it had cleared the top cop's prosecution in the case. "I have no idea," said Chennithala, who was on a visit to Maoist-hit Wayanad district, when asked about the development. "The Government will sometimes have to give promotion to certain officers though they are facing legal proceedings. It is part of Government procedures. Anyway, I don't have the exact details," he said.
It is said that the Chief Minister had taken the decision to promote Thachankery, known to be close to top Congress leaders and the official leadership of the Opposition CPI(M), on the basis of a positive advice provided by the law Secretary, who had earlier refused to permit the promotion. Advocate General KP Dandapani also had favoured Thachankery's promotion. The screening committee had decided that a decision on Thachankery's promotion had to be taken on the basis of a Central opinion though several top police officials had backed the idea of giving him promotion. However, the Home Minister had reportedly adopted a position that the Chief Minister could take a final decision on the matter.
Chief Minister Chandy has been accused of showing favouritism to Thachankery ever since he assumed office in May, 2011. Thachankery was suspended from service by the former CPI(M)-led lDF government on April 17, 2010 for violating service rules by making an Arabian trip without authorization and misleading his superiors. However, within 50 days of assuming charge, the UDF Government on July 6, 2011 reinstated him in service on the basis of a suggestion from the Centre that the State could take a decision on its own on the reinstatement as the NIA, which had looked into the allegation that he had contacted some terror men while in Doha, Qatar, had failed to find any evidence.
Thachankery was again suspended from service in January, 2012 for violation of service rules but was reinstated within three months. Observers said that Chief Minister Chandy was perhaps setting a bad precedent by deciding to give promotion to a top police official facing serious cases even when the screening committee which included the Home Minister was against it.