lok Gathbandhan Party (lGP) on Saturday condemned the IAS Officers’ Association demand for taking prior state government permission mandatory for prosecution of even retired officers in corruption cases.
The lGP said that permission from government of the day for prosecution of even a serving officer is not justified. In all criminal misconduct and wrongdoings, an officer should face the law in his individual capacity and explain his conduct himself.
Fundamental rights given in the Constitution and in Right to Equality and Right to life were available to every citizen of India, then why should there be a separate arrangement for a privileged class.
“Article 311 of Constitution guarantees sufficient protection to every government servant, then why there be another protection shield for this class of people,” the lGP sought to know.
State lGP Coordinator and former Additional DG, SN Singh said in a statement on Saturday that provision under Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) for seeking permission of state government for prosecution of a corrupt official was illogical.
“In case of an offence, the person concerned should be put on trial without any consent from the government. Indian judiciary is independent and impartial enough to keep genuine interests of the accused in mind. This facility is also equally available to accused government servants,” he pointed out.
Singh said that lGP national convener and former Secretary of Union government Vijay Shankar Pandey has always held the view that there should be no government leniency or provision for permission to prosecute corrupt government officials, who take bribe or commit irregularity in discharge of their official duty.
“This existing facility of securing Government permission before their prosecution has made government officials all the more corrupt and irresponsible in discharge of their duties,” he said.
Singh claimed that as was the practice, state governments generally adopt delaying tactics in allowing prosecution in corruption cases against serving officials.
“Now that there is a demand to provide this umbrella to them even on retirement, which is ridiculous. A large group of serving and retired IAS and IPS officers under the banner of India Rejuvenation Initiative (IRI), a supporting organization of lGP, has long been fighting against corrupt officers and rampant corruption in the government,” he said.
Singh said that legal protection in the garb of permission has hampered prosecution during service and if this facility was extended after retirement, when will the corrupt officials be put on trial then.
The lGP leader further said during a time when developmental and welfare activities have come to a standstill in the state and there was spurt in crime, bureaucrats were busy safeguarding their vested interests.
Expressing concern over lack of transparency and honesty in the governmental functioning, Singh said that the lGP was in favour of putting officers at par with common citizens in corruption cases and such other criminal misconduct.