Former Kerala DGP Tomin Thachankary convicted in disproportionate assets case
Synopsis
A Kerala DGP who kept climbing the ranks even as a corruption case shadowed him for nearly 20 years has finally been convicted. The Kottayam Vigilance Court found Tomin J. Thachankary guilty of accumulating assets 135.80% above his known income — a verdict that raises uncomfortable questions about how the system allowed his ascent to continue throughout the trial.
Key Takeaways
Thachankary , former Kerala DGP , was convicted by the Kottayam Vigilance Court on 17 September 2026 .
He was found guilty of accumulating assets 135.80 per cent above his known sources of income between January 2003 and July 2007 .
The disproportionate assets were valued at ₹64.70 lakh .
The Vigilance case was registered in 2007 ; the charge sheet was filed in 2013 — nearly two decades before the verdict.
Thachankary retired as DGP in 2023 , having continued his rise through the police hierarchy even as the trial progressed.
The court was set to pronounce the quantum of sentence later on the day of conviction.
Former Kerala Director General of Police (DGP) Tomin J. Thachankary, once counted among the state's most powerful law enforcement officers, was convicted on Thursday, 17 September 2026 by the Kottayam Vigilance Court in a disproportionate assets case that had been pending for nearly two decades. The court was expected to pronounce the quantum of sentence later in the day.
What the Court Found
The Kottayam Vigilance Court held that Thachankary had accumulated assets 135.80 per cent in excess of his known sources of income during the period from January 2003 to July 2007. The disproportionate assets were quantified at ₹64.70 lakh. The prosecution established that he could not satisfactorily account for the sources of income corresponding to the assets in question.
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had registered the case in 2007 following a complaint alleging that Thachankary had acquired houses, flats, and other properties disproportionate to his official earnings. The charge sheet was filed in 2013 after investigations were completed.
The Defence's Arguments and Court's Rejection
Thachankary had sought discharge, contending that a portion of the properties had come to him through family partition and gifts. The court rejected that plea and upheld the prosecution's case as maintainable.
The trial involved examination of a large number of witnesses. These included a former Joint Secretary of the Home Department, a former Additional Chief Secretary, a former Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), and Income Tax officials, among others.
Health Plea and Sentencing
When asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, Thachankary cited his health condition, informing the court that he had suffered chest pain two days prior and was physically unwell. The defence produced medical documents and sought maximum leniency. The prosecution, however, pressed for the maximum punishment permissible under the law.
A Career That Outlasted the Investigation
The case had drawn sustained attention because Thachankary continued to ascend through the ranks of Kerala Police even as the Vigilance investigation progressed. He had already risen to the rank of ADGP by the time the charge sheet was filed, and went on to reach the DGP rank before retiring from service in 2023. The conviction thus closes a long and contested chapter in one of Kerala's most prominent — and controversial — policing careers, with the court now set to decide punishment.
Point of View
Reaching the highest rank in Kerala Police before retiring. That institutional blind spot — or deliberate indifference — deserves as much scrutiny as the conviction itself. A nearly two-decade trial timeline also signals how poorly equipped the vigilance machinery is to act as a real-time accountability mechanism. The sentence, when delivered, will test whether the judiciary treats rank as a mitigating factor or holds it as an aggravating one.
NationPress
17 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tomin J. Thachankary and why was he convicted?
Tomin J. Thachankary is a former Director General of Police (DGP) of Kerala, convicted on 17 September 2026 by the Kottayam Vigilance Court for possessing assets 135.80 per cent disproportionate to his known sources of income. The assets, valued at ₹64.70 lakh, were accumulated between January 2003 and July 2007.
How long was the disproportionate assets case pending against Thachankary?
The case was registered by the Vigilance Bureau in 2007 following a complaint about properties allegedly acquired beyond his means, with the charge sheet filed in 2013. The conviction came in September 2026 — nearly two decades after the case was first registered.
What was Thachankary's defence in the case?
Thachankary contended that some of the properties had come to him through family partition and as gifts, and sought discharge from the case. The Kottayam Vigilance Court rejected this plea and held that the prosecution's case was maintainable.
Was a sentence pronounced on the day of conviction?
The quantum of sentence had not been pronounced at the time of conviction on 17 September 2026. The defence sought maximum leniency citing Thachankary's health condition, while the prosecution pressed for the maximum punishment. The court was expected to pronounce the sentence later in the day.
How did Thachankary continue rising in Kerala Police despite the ongoing case?
Thachankary had already risen to the rank of ADGP by the time the charge sheet was filed in 2013 and subsequently reached the DGP rank, retiring in 2023. The case attracted significant attention precisely because his promotions continued uninterrupted throughout the nearly two-decade Vigilance trial.
