Home Minister P Chidambaram has strongly rejected the allegations that he misled the panel which selected P.J. Tomas as Chief Vigilance Commissioner. Taking a strong exception to the charge by Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Chidambaram said in a statement in New Delhi on Wednesday that she was tying herself in knots by making thoughtless allegations. Countering the BJP leader's charge the Home Minister said that firstly if no sanction for prosecution had been granted since 1999 against P J Thomas, how could the case have proceeded to trial or ended in an acquittal of Thomas. Secondly, if the Supreme Court had stayed the trial of the case, he said, is it not self-evident that the case was pending and nobody could have been either acquitted or convicted.The Home Minister reiterated that the Committee was aware of the palmolein case and that no sanction for prosecution of Thomas had been granted since 1999, the case was pending in the trial court, the Supreme Court had stayed the trial of the case; and that the then CVC had granted vigilance clearance in respect of Thomas. He requested Mrs. Swaraj to respect the rule of sub-judice and allow the Supreme Court to decide the case.