THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala Director General of Police Jacob Thomas, under suspension for the beyond 18 months for alleged violation of provider rules, is now dealing with a crook case and termination risk for writing his autobiography.

The grievance changed into filed by the General Administration Department in the direction of Chief Secretary Tom Jose.

The police’s Crime Branch wing registered a criminal case against Thomas for penning his bare-all autobiography.

Former Kerala DGP Jacob Thomas faces crook case for writing autobiography  1

‘Sravukalkkoppam Neenthumbol’ (Swimming With Sharks) without looking for previous permission from the higher-ups.

In the 240-web page book, the 1985-batch IPS officer had attacked many leaders, along with former leader minister Oommen Chandy, and noted how the investigation of some debatable corruption instances had been sabotaged.

The book details his lifestyle from youth in a hilly hamlet of imperative Kerala to his studies as an all-India provider officer.

According to the FIR, Thomas had allegedly revealed in the e-book legitimate secrets and techniques, which had come to his expertise in his potential because the vigilance director violated the Police Forces (Restriction of Rights) Act 1966.

If discovered responsibly, Thomas will face imprisonment for up to two years and a great.

A departmental action by way of the kingdom government, based on these prices, may also bring about the DGP’s termination.

However, Thomas said no earlier permission becomes needed before publishing the ebook because it came beneath the category of literary works.

He also claimed there had been no new revelations in his ebook, but records that turned into already in the public domain.

The officer had triggered a row via initiating a probe towards high-profile individuals, including ministers, politicians, and bureaucrats, throughout his over one-yr tenure as chief of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department.

He changed into later transferred because the director of the Institute of Management in Governance before being located beneath suspension in December 2017 for his comments against the Pinarayi Vijayan government’s handling of the Ockhi cyclone.

“It may be for the primary time in the united states that an IPS officer is being positioned beneath suspension continuously for one of these long periods,” Thomas advised PTI.

“The criminal case registered in opposition to me for writing a e-book is part of the persevering with retaliatory measures taken by using the LDF government.”

It is evidence of extreme “revenge and retaliation” through the government towards an officer who is not in their accurate books, the officer said, alleging that the entire authorities’ equipment becomes misused to suppress unfastened speech.

When contacted, Additional Chief Secretary (Health and Family Affairs) Rajeev Sadanandan, who performed a departmental inquiry against Thomas on various costs, said he had submitted two reports to the authorities.

“I actually have submitted inquiry reviews — one regarding his autobiography and the second on his debatable speech, in which he had made anti-authorities remarks.

But, I can’t display the info of the file or my tips,” Sadanandan told PTI.

Thomas claimed that the crook case registered under the Police Force (Restriction of Right) Act was no longer relevant to an all-India service official and only applicable to those recruited underneath the national police.

Criminal proceedings have been initiated weeks after a vigilance case changed into slapped towards Thomas for the alleged monetary irregularities because the director of ports inside the procurement of a dredger during the duration 2009-14, a price rejected earlier by means of the Vigilance Department and Vigilance court docket after an inquiry.

Though Thomas, who has service till June subsequent year, sought to take voluntary retirement in March to contest the Lok Sabha election as a nominee of ‘Twenty20’, a non-profit organization, the country government did not relieve him.

“I have been denied job and salary for the last 18 months. I am not even allowed to exit the carrier,” he stated.

“They are slapping case after case in opposition to me to keep me far away from the carrier till I retire.”

Thomas said he was mulling numerous options to fight the alleged injustice meted out to him with the aid of the national government.

He has already approached the Central Administrative Tribunal in opposition to the back-to-returned suspensions and filed a case inside the Kerala High Court looking to quash the vigilance case.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) legislator M Swaraj informed PTI that positive guidelines were to be followed by way of the serving government officers whilst in service.

BJP veteran Kummanam Rajasekharan, however, stated the act of registering a crook case against Thomas for penning an autobiography was “fascism” and a clear case of “victimisation.”

“If the officer is determined to have violated any service rule, the authorities can take departmental movement. But here, a crook case is registered towards the officer for writing a e-book, that too with the aid of the Left authorities which pretends to be recommended of free speech and freedom of expression,” Rajasekharan informed PTI.

Echoing similar sentiments, D B Binu, president of the Right to Information Act, Kerala Federation, stated if any such case becomes registered anywhere else inside the united states, Left leaders would have termed it “intolerance” and “infringement on the freedom of expression.”

Thomas changed into the primary IPS officer within the state to get sanctuary under the Whistleblowers’ Protection Act from the union authorities in 2005 after he brought mild corruption in the Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation at the same time as serving as its dealing with the director.