Pradeep Kumar to be sworn in as CVC tomorrow

NEW DELHI: Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar will take over tomorrow as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner, the country's anti-corruption watchdog, which has been headless for the past four months after the Supreme Court struck down the appointment of P J Thomas.

62-year-old Kumar will be sworn-in as the new CVC by President Pratibha Patil at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Kumar, a 1972 batch Haryana cadre IAS officer, was chosen for the CVC's post unanimously by a panel comprising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj a fortnight ago.

He will have a tenure of a little over three years. The post of CVC fell vacant after the apex court quashed the appointment of Thomas as a charge sheet was pending against him in a corruption case.