New Delhi: A collateral victim of the avalanche of online exchanges on the NiMo scandal has been K.V. Chowdary, the central vigilance commissioner (CVC).

The Nirav Modi fraud has swivelled the spotlight back on the appointment of Chowdary by the Narendra Modi government after a photograph of the officer presenting the Vigilance Excellence Award 2016-17 to Punjab National Bank (PNB) did the rounds on social media.

The photograph shows Chowdary merely handing over the award and there is nothing to suggest that he had any role in picking the recipient - an unfortunate choice for a "vigilance" award in hindsight as PNB appeared to have been singularly lacking in vigilance as alleged scamsters merrily spirited away as much as Rs 11,400 crore. Some called the choice the "joke of the century".

The award - given to PNB by the Institute of Public Enterprises, Hyderabad - is listed among those won by the bank in 2016-17.

Since the picture showed Chowdary, too, attention soon shifted to his appointment that had been contested.

In 2015, two lawyers, Ram Jethmalani and Prashant Bhushan, had written separately to Prime Minister Modi that Chowdary - a retired Indian Revenue Service officer and former head of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) - was unsuitable for the post of CVC. He had been made CBDT chairman also by the Modi government.

In his letter dated June 2, 2015, Jethmalani was blunt in opposing Chowdary's appointment. "This is the greatest disaster that will fall on this unfortunate nation," Jethmalani had written before making some sweeping allegations.

In an earlier letter, Jethmalani had questioned the Modi government's decision to make Chowdary an ex-officio member of the special investigation team on black money.

After Chowdary's appointment as CVC was announced on June 6, 2015, Jethmalani dashed off another letter - saying there was no point raising the issue with the Prime Minister any more - and signing off with: "My diminishing respect for you ends today."

On Sunday, reacting to the photo of Chowdary presenting the Vigilance Excellence Award to PNB, Bhushan tweeted: "KV Chowdhary, who gave the Vigilance excellence award to PNB in 2017, was appointed Chief Vigilance Commissioner in 2016 by NaMo...."

Bhushan, in his letter on May 20, 2015, had said he was opposed to Chowdary being made CVC as "his name figures four times in the list of persons who visited former CBI director Ranjit Sinha at his official residence". Sinha is facing corruption charges.

This newspaper was unable to contact Chowdary for comment.