Kochi: Former Kerala Director General of Police Tomin J. Thachankary (IPS: 1987: KL) has approached the Kerala High Court challenging his conviction and four-year rigorous imprisonment sentence in a disproportionate assets case.
The appeal, registered as Crl.A. No. 1239 of 2026, challenges the judgment of the Kottayam Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance), who convicted Thachankary on September 17 under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Four-Year Sentence in ₹64.70 Lakh Disproportionate Assets Case
The Kottayam Vigilance Court found Thachankary guilty of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during the period under investigation.
According to the prosecution case, Thachankary had acquired assets and pecuniary resources worth ₹64,70,891 between January 1, 2003 and July 4, 2007.
The court found that, even after accounting for discrepancies and giving the benefit of material discrepancies established during the trial, 52.33% of his known income remained disproportionate. The original prosecution calculation had put the excess at 135.80%.
Read Also: Former Kerala DGP Tomin J Thachankary Gets 4-Year Jail Term in Disproportionate Assets Case
The court sentenced him to:
- Four years’ rigorous imprisonment
- ₹30.84 lakh fine
- An additional two months’ imprisonment in default of payment of the fine
He was taken into custody following the verdict and sent to Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail.
Appeal Filed Before Kerala High Court
Thachankary has now challenged the trial court’s judgment before the Kerala High Court.
The appeal is titled Tomin J. Thachankary v. State of Kerala and has been registered as Crl.A. 1239/2026. The matter challenges the conviction arising from the long-running disproportionate assets case.
The filing comes a day after the Vigilance Court delivered its judgment.
What Was the Disproportionate Assets Case About?
The case relates to assets allegedly accumulated by Thachankary while he was serving as a senior police officer.
The Vigilance prosecution alleged that between January 1, 2003 and July 4, 2007, he acquired assets and pecuniary resources that could not be satisfactorily accounted for in relation to his known sources of income.
The case was registered following a complaint by Bobby Kuruvila, who alleged that Thachankary had acquired houses, flats and other properties beyond what could be explained by his income.
The investigation subsequently became a long-running legal matter, with several challenges and proceedings before the courts.
18 Properties Became Key Evidence
According to reporting on the Vigilance Court judgment, the acquisition of 18 properties in Thammanam became an important part of the prosecution’s case.
The properties were purchased for around ₹31 lakh. The court rejected Thachankary’s explanation that the consideration was paid from his wife’s funds, holding that the defence had not established through transaction-wise evidence that the money used for the properties actually came from her income.
The prosecution also relied on evidence concerning other financial transactions and foreign trips during the period under investigation.
Thachankary Had Sought Discharge Earlier
The former DGP had previously approached the Vigilance Court seeking discharge from the case.
The Special Court rejected his application under Section 239 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on May 29, 2020. A subsequent challenge to that order before the High Court was not pressed and was dismissed.
The case then continued before the Vigilance Court.
Kerala Government’s Further Investigation Order Set Aside by HC
A significant development came in 2021 when the Kerala government issued an order sanctioning further investigation into the case by another special investigation unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Bobby Kuruvila challenged the government order before the Kerala High Court, arguing that the move would delay the trial.
In August 2025, a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court set aside the government’s order permitting further investigation. The Bench comprised Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Jobin Sebastian.
The court directed that the trial proceed on the basis of the material already available before the Vigilance Court.
The High Court’s intervention eventually paved the way for the Vigilance Court to proceed with the trial. In June 2026, the High Court also recorded that a separate petition seeking an extension for completion of the trial had become infructuous after the State informed the court that the matter had effectively moved forward.
Who Is Tomin J. Thachankary?
Tomin J. Thachankary is a 1987-batch Kerala-cadre IPS officer who retired from government service in 2023 at the rank of DGP.
He served in the Kerala Police for around 36 years and held several senior positions during his career. He was also associated with technology and cybercrime-related policing during his tenure as an Inspector General.
His career included senior assignments within the Kerala Police before his retirement as a DGP-rank officer.
Career Highlights
His documented career included:
- Service as a 1987-batch Kerala-cadre IPS officer
- Multiple senior assignments in the Kerala Police
- Service at the Inspector General level during the period covered by the disproportionate assets case
- Later service at the DGP level
- Retirement from the police service in 2023
- Serving as Director General of Investigation at the Kerala State Human Rights Commission before retirement
Case Dates Back to 2003
The disproportionate assets case concerns the period when Thachankary was serving as a senior police officer, from 2003 to 2007.
The Vigilance case was subsequently investigated and a chargesheet was filed. The legal proceedings continued for years, including Thachankary’s discharge plea, the government’s 2021 decision to permit further investigation and the subsequent High Court proceedings.
In August 2025, the Kerala High Court ordered the trial to proceed without the additional investigation sanctioned by the government.
The Vigilance Court ultimately delivered its conviction on September 17, 2026, sentencing the former DGP to four years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposing a ₹30.84 lakh fine.
Former DGP Challenges Conviction
With the filing of the criminal appeal before the Kerala High Court, the conviction and sentence are now under challenge before the appellate court.
The High Court will consider the grounds raised in Crl.A. 1239/2026, while the Vigilance Court’s conviction remains the judgment under challenge.
