Former Keralam DGP Thachankary Guilty in Disproportionate Assets Case
Kottayam Vigilance Court judge K V Rajaneesh found Thachankary guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major anti-graft verdict, the Kottayam Vigilance Court on Thursday sentenced former Director General of Police (DGP) Tomin J. Thachankary to four years in prison in connection with a long-drawn disproportionate assets case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30.84 lakh.
Soon after the sentencing, which came more than three years after his retirement, Vigilance Public Prosecutor K.K. Sreekanth said the court found that a police officer’s duty is to safeguard the public, and accumulating disproportionate assets is a serious offence. This proves that everyone is equal before the law. It was a challenging case for the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau since Thachankary was a high-ranking officer. Thachankary will be sent to the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail and is likely to file an appeal on the verdict before the High Court within 30 days.
With the court delivering its verdict in the disproportionate assets case, Thachankary has become the first DGP-rank officer in Kerala to be convicted in a corruption case. Bearing that notoriety, Thachankary will now head to Poojappura Central Jail.
The case involves the accumulation of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income between January 1, 2003, and July 7, 2007. According to the Vigilance, Thachankary had amassed assets worth Rs 64 lakh beyond his known income. The probe revealed that his assets were 133 per cent higher than his reported income, and the prosecution claimed he failed to provide a satisfactory explanation or proof for the extra earnings.
The vigilance inquiry began when Thachankary was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG). The case also included allegations that the state exchequer suffered losses due to stamp duty evasion in various land transactions.
The VACB filed the chargesheet in 2013. The case was first heard at the Thrissur Vigilance Court before being transferred to the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court and later to the Kottayam Vigilance Court. The Kerala High Court stepped in to speed up the trial. Thachankary challenged the proceedings in both the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court, seeking a reinvestigation into the allegations, but both courts rejected his pleas, allowing the trial to move forward.
During the trial, Thachankary sought to be discharged from the case, claiming that the assets in question were ancestral properties inherited from his parents. However, the court dismissed his arguments.
A 1987 batch IPS officer from Kerala, Thachankary served as DGP of the Kerala Police and was appointed Director General of Investigation at the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, holding the position from May 27, 2021, to July 31, 2023. He was granted the rank of DGP (ex-cadre) on September 1, 2020, and held various roles, including KFC Managing Director, ADGP of the Crime Branch, Fire and Rescue Services Chief, KSRTC Managing Director, ADGP of Police Headquarters, Transport Commissioner, Inspector General of Kannur Range, DIG of the Ernakulam Crime Branch, and District Police Chief. He retired from police service on July 31, 2023.
He’s not the first high-ranking officer to face punishment, though. Earlier, IG Lakshmanan was convicted by the CBI court in the Varghese encounter case, although it wasn’t related to corruption. Former Chief Secretary Ramachandran Nair was also sentenced by a Vigilance court, but later cleared by the High Court.
