By suspending the anti-corruption crusader Jacob Thomas, who holds a DG Police rank and is currently heading the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Kerala government's apex body for training public officials, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF administration has once again tied itself in knots as it did to itself by removing DGP TP Senkumar earlier this year. First, what the state government has done through its chief secretary Nalini Netto (who should have known better and acted wisely) may prima facie seem a case of blatant violation of the all-India services rules. According to Section 3 of the Rules, a state government cannot suspend a chief secretary, director general of police, or principal chief conservator of forests without the prior permission of the Central government. Second, no case was filed against Thomas' alleged statement by the local police which had the jurisdiction over the area where he is alleged to have made statements against the political bosses of the state. Nor is there a shred of evidence that intelligence agencies provided any input against Thomas' speech. Third, Kerala is being increasingly seen as the battleground between politicians and civil servants. For instance, in April this year, the SC had held the removal of former state police chief TP Senkumar as 'unfair'. Senkumar was removed by the state government for his alleged anti-corruption drive. From the available information, it may appear that the state government acted against Thomas merely on the basis of hearsay. To say the least, the state government's suspension order, describing the senior most police officer as a security threat, may seem far-fetched verging on the paranoia of the political class versus civil servants. Unfortunately, this paranoia is constantly fed by some unduly ambitious and unethical civil servants themselves. For Thomas, fighting against corruption has been fun. Consequently, he has often found himself at cross purposes with the ruling administration. During the previous Congress government, he was moved out of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2014, while investigating high-profile cases involving Congress leaders. Vijayan, when he came to power in 2016, reinstated Thomas back to head the anti-corruption watchdog. But within a year, Thomas was forced to take a long leave. Finally, he was moved to IMG, a largely non-policing department. Thomas is also facing departmental action for penning an autobiography titled 'Sravukalku Oppam Neenthumbol' (Swimming with Sharks), which has spicy and naughty revelations about major political events and politicians. After it was released this year, the Vijayan administration appointed a three-member team to check whether he violated the All India Service (AIS) Conduct Rules, 1968. The probe had last month found Thomas guilty and recommended initiating criminal proceedings against him.