A study by the Central Vigilance Commission’s (CVC) has shown that finalisation in vigilance cases against a Government employee takes eight years in average due to protracted proceedings.
The study has found that detection of corruption and institution of a preliminary investigation takes two years each in a vigilance case in general. The report says that another big delay of 30 months happens in the appointment of Investigating Officer and preparation of final report.
In its 12-page report titled ‘Report on Study of Existing Pattern of Prolonged Disciplinary Proceedings and Suggestions for Remedial Action’, the CVC’s panel has suggested that such protracted delay can be talked only by procedural changes in the administrative departments of each organisation. The report points out that these delays create huge embarrassment to the Government employee who were actually innocents and framed wrongly on baseless allegations.
“On an average, it takes more than 8 years for finalising a major vigilance case from the date of occurrence of irregularity, whereas detection of irregularity takes on an average more than 2 years, which is a significant portion (25%) of the entire period,” said the study report, adding that another two years delays happens in conducting and finalising preliminary investigation for First Stage Advice (FSA).
“Further, it is a matter of concern that implementation of FSA, appointment of Investigating Officer (IO), finalising the IO report and sending the department comments for Second Stage Advice (SSA) altogether taking a time of more than 2.6 years.,” said the report, prepared by three-member team of CVC officers.
There is an average delay of about five months in implementation or non-implementation (that is, final decision by the department) of the Commission’s advice, which further takes more than five months on an average in intimating the same to the Commission, it said.
“Findings also reveal that the average delay on part of Inquiry Officers is significant and to the tune of about 1.3 years and, if this delay is clubbed with investigation at first stage, it goes up to 3.4 years. That clearly requires suitable interventions at the level of investigation both at first and second stage,” the study has pointed out.
The study said that there was a need to look into the aspects of delay at the level of Administrative Departments. “Various factors (endogenous as well as exogenous) might be affecting the timely disposal of cases in the Departments and it is felt that Departments should be asked to re-engineer their interal process for finding reasons of the delays and possible remedies thereof. It is felt that one of the factors responsible for this may be deployment of limited dedicated manpower for this job,” said the main recommendation of the study to cut short the delays.