Ker govt appoints DGP Jacob Thomas as MD of Kerala Metal

Nearly two months after the CAT quashed his suspension by the Kerala government for his controversial remarks against it in 2017,the state's senior-most DGP Jacob Thomas was on Monday appointed as Managing Director of Metal Industries Ltd.

The appointment letter has been signed, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) told PTI.

Thomas' reinstatement comes nearly two years after he was suspended for criticising the government on the manner in which it handled Ockhi Cyclone, which hit the coast here in 2017.

Thomas, who was suspended in December 2017, had moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which in July this year had ordered his reinstatement.

"It is a trite law that suspension cannot take the form of punishment," the Ernakulam bench of CAT had said in its order, directing that the officer be reinstated forthwith in service and duly assigned to an appropriate post of equivalent rank.

Following a complaint by the General Adminstration department as directed by Chief Secretary, Tom Jose, the Crime Branch wing had registered a criminal case against Thomas for his bare-all autobiography 'Sravukalkkoppam Neenthumbol' (Swimming along sharks) without seeking prior permission from the higher-ups.

The 59-year-old DGP had triggered a row by initiating a probe against high-profile persons, including ministers, politicians and bureaucrats during his over one year tenure as chief of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department.

He was later transferred as the director of Institute of Management in Governance (IMG) before being placed under suspension in December 2017.

In the 240-page book, the 1985-batch IPS officer had attacked many leaders, including former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and alleged how the investigation of some controversial corruption cases were sabotaged.