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| State government refuses SVO permission to prosecute top sharks | | Is anti-corruption only for class 4th employees? | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 29: Highly placed sources have told Early Times the state government has refused permission for prosecution sought by the state vigilance organization (SVO) against at least three top ranking officials.
Sources said the vigilance sleuths have completed investigations into serious allegations against some top officials whose movable and immovable assets were found far beyond their known sources of income.
"These officials have been running scams and frauds in various departments they remained posted at and in the process, they have amassed huge assets which are completely disproportionate with their known sources of income," source said.
It has also been disclosed that after completion of all the required formalities, the state vigilance commissioner, who works directly under the chief minister, wrote to the chief minister's office for sanction to prosecute those officials cases against whom were found fit to be challaned in the court.
"In one such case, the permission to prosecute a highly tainted senior official has been declined thrice! If this remains the state of affairs, then the SVO would be finally reduced to the level of a barking dog that cannot bite," the top source said.
Early Times has also learnt that the permission to prosecute any tainted official against whom allegations have been found substantiated by material evidence is only given by the chief minister. "In these cases, it can at least be inferred that since the permission to prosecute certain government officials has been refused, the decision must have been taken by the worthy chief minister himself. The other possibility is that a strong nexus, which has its roots spread right up to the top echelons of the state government, is operating which is keeping the chief minister in the dark regarding these highly sensitive issues.
Sources said the wealth illegally amassed by these three top officials would humble even the treasures inside Ali Baba's cave. "You cannot believe it. Bathroom fittings in one case alone have been estimated at over half a crore," sources revealed.
It has been the stated commitment of the chief minister that the corrupt officials would not be spared whatever be their status in the official hierarchy. The fact that the permission to prosecute certain corrupt officials is still being denied does not match the promise made by the chief minister.
It is generally believed in Jammu and Kashmir that while a class fourth employee or a small clerk can be booked by the SVO and also be sentenced to jail by the court of law, the big sharks have actually never come under the vigilance net in the state. The state government must understand that accountability and transparency must come down from the top like a waterfall.
These essential attributes of a functional bureaucracy cannot go up from the bottom. If those running the state administration are not held accountable from the top downwards, whatever sincerity and eagerness Omar Abdullah might show, his milestones in development and fair play would always elude him.
If the corrupt ones at the top are cut down to size, a strong and powerful signal would travel down the administrative spine. It is only through a vibrant and accountable administrative system that good governance, development and the rule of law can be established. What rule of law can be established by a corrupt official if his eyes remain fixed and focused on furthering his self and pelf? It is in the interest of the state government to ensure that those bringing a bad name to the entire bureaucracy are immediately cut down to size. The best way to do that is not by refusing permissions to the SVO, but by strengthening the anti-corruption grid which is best done by throwing out the rotten eggs. |
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