Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala unit of IAS Officers Association is set to demand that the government’s prior permission should be obtained for initiating Vigilance inquiries and probe against bureaucrats.
The issue will be taken up at the national meeting of IAS officers to be held in Delhi on October 22. The association wants a conducive atmosphere for officials to discharge their duties in a free and fair manner.
It will also apprise the meeting of the developments taking place in the state in connection with a spate of Vigilance inquiries and cases against officers. A section of officers says that action on anonymous complaints and petitions cannot be left to the discretion of Vigilance officials alone.
The association believes that the government’s permission is necessary to avoid needless harassment of officials. It says as per an earlier government order, in the event of a petition or complaint against an officer, the Vigilance should first send it to secretary (Vigilance and Home) and... Thiruvananthapuram...refrain from taking suo motu action on it. The government will decide whether the officer against whom the complaint is given should face an inquiry.But the Vigilance says it had recently got legal opinion that there was nothing wrong in proceeding on specific complaints filed against IAS and IPS officers. The legal advice to go ahead with such action was on the strength of court order regarding such complaints against public servants.
Vigilance sources said prior permission for inquiry in corruption charges could not be justified. Since such a consent will have to be obtained at different levels in the government chain of command, there is a possibility of vital information getting leaked out, losing confidentiality and evidence getting destroyed. The issue of the government’s prior permission for Vigilance cases is a hotly debated topic in many states. Sources said that recently the Tamil Nadu government had mandated prior permission of the government for Vigilance inquiries against state officials.
