KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has directed the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) to file report on the inquiry into the allegation that Additional DGP Tomin J Thachankary abused his position as Transport Commissioner to appoint an unqualified ministerial staff as Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector (AMVI).
The court passed the directive on a petition filed by S Sreehari, AMVI at the Regional Transport Office, Thrissur, challenging the Vigilance Court’s order to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations.
The Vigilance Court had ordered to conduct preliminary probe on a complaint filed by Raveendran of Kochi. When the case came up for hearing, the public prosecutor submitted the VACB had completed the inquiry and the probe officer had submitted the report.
In his complaint, Raveendran alleged Sreehari was only a ministerial staff at the office of the Transport Commissioner and he did not have the qualification to be appointed AMVI. “The BTech degree certificate produced by him was fake. Thachankary abused his official position and made the appointment after receiving illegal gratification,” he alleged.
The court had earlier observed the inquiry must be centred around Thachankary, who made the appointment. The court had stated the petitioner claimed to have secured BTech degree in 2013.
“It is not known whether he had been on leave for five years for higher studies prior to 2013. The genuineness of the BTech degree will have to be examined. It is also not known how the petitioner could secure a three-year BTech degree, as BTech is a five-year course across the country, the court said.
The court had also directed the VACB to report the action taken on the complaint forwarded for inquiry by the special court.