THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government has initiated a preliminary probe against senior IAS official Tom Jose regarding allegations surrounding his property in Maharashtra. Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson directed Home Secretary Nalini Netto to carry out a fact-finding inquiry into the allegations and submit the report within a month.
Meanwhile, Tom Jose said all details regarding the land purchase were given to the government in 2010 itself. Earlier, there were some allegations regarding the financial source of Tom Jose in connection with his land purchase in Maharashtra. Following this, former Chief Secretary E K Bharat Bhushan had initiated a probe into the allegations against Tom Jose. However, there were some technical issues in the procedures.
There are certain prerequisites for taking action against an IAS official. Underthis, a fact-finding probe should be conducted to ascertain whether there are enough grounds to take action against the official. Earlier, when the probe was ordered, this was not carried out. This is why the current fact-finding inquiry has been ordered, which will enable the government to decide on whether action should be taken against him.
The current preliminary probe has been ordered to find out whether there is any substance in the allegations raised against Tom Jose. “There are certain procedures to be followed to ascertain whether action is neededagainst an official and on the quantum of action. The Home Secretary has been directed to carry out the inquiry and furnish the report within a month,” said Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson.
Meanwhile, Tom Jose said all the details of purchase regarding this property, were given to the government in 2010 itself when the land was bought. “Also the information has been declared in my annual property statement five years ago. It is also available on the website of Department of Personnel of the Union Government,” Tom Jose said.