The Kerala High Court dismissed a petition on Thursday demanding a CBI enquiry into the reported misconduct of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau chief Jacob Thomas. 

The petitioner Sathyan Naravoor (WP-C 32130/2016) had alleged that Jacob Thomas had availed leave to teach at a private college in Kollam during his tenure as the Managing Director of Kerala Transport Development Finance Corporation in 2009.

By accepting monetary payment for the same, Thomas had misused his official powers, Naravoor argued. 

The state government however had earlier submitted an affidavit in September this year in the High Court backing the IAS officer, maintaining that the Vigilance chief was being deliberately targeted by certain vested interests. 

The government said that Jacob Thomas had gone on leave for three months with the requisite permission, and had not drawn his salary during the said period. 

Accepting the government’s submission, the court dismissed the petition, observing that there was nothing that warrants a CBI enquiry. 

The Vigilance department had earlier looked into the matter, following which Thomas had returned the honorarium he received from the college in return for his services. Naravoor then petitioned the HC pointing out that the Vigilance probe was not satisfactory. 

The CBI even went out of the way to inform the Court in October this year that it was willing to investigate the same. This –not surprisingly- saw Thomas shoot off a letter to the CBI Director pointing out that the agency's action was not in tandem with prescribed rules.