The appointment of P J Thomas, then telecom secretary, as the central vigilance commissioner has remained controversial right from the beginning, as the leader of opposition had objected to it. On Monday, the Supreme Court too expressed its displeasure at the way he was selected.

"Without looking into the file, we are concerned that if a person is an accused in a criminal case how will he function as CVC," a bench headed by chief justice S H Kapadia observed after attorney general G E Vahanvati placed in a sealed cover the file on appointment.

Given the strong language the apex court has used, should Thomas resign from the post or should he be considered innocent till the judgment in the criminal case? Shouldn’t the CVC be somebody who inspires confidence and has support cutting across party lines?