Out to safeguard its image and strengthen public perception the Jharkhand lokayukta office is gearing up to give a befitting reply to Bhartiya Suraaj Manch, a social pressure group formed to exert greater probity into public life. The ombudsman has started searching answers to the pointed questions raised by the organisation and that also just before receiving any such missive in writing.
The Manch had on Sunday threw volley of questions to the lokayukta asking his anti-graft measures taken so far and also sincerity of the office in dealing with charges coming against high and mighty. “We have not received any formal letter from them thus far. Whatever we know is only through media reports. Anyway the office has no objection in replying to the questions asked,” said a senior official of the lokayukta office.
The organisation had given ten days to the lokayukta office to reply to queries asked about some specific cases being probed. The response received would be forwarded finally for the consideration to the People’s Central Jury, headed by Justice (retd) PB Sawant for its evaluation and rating about the office. “Though we have not received the letter yet but making sure that all the answers to the relevant questions asked are ready well in advance. We have received instructions in this regard and work to collect data is on. As far as the questions asked are concerned what we find some of them not appropriate but we are prepared to reply as much as possible,” said the official.
However, the Manch is a social organisation that came into light ahead of parliamentary polls by evaluating credentials of the candidates into fray and rating them for the voters to judge. The anti-corruption ombudsman is not legally bound to reply but the gesture and sense of responsibility towards society is a rarity in the State.
On the other hand, Manch said that it had e-mailed the querries to the lokayukta office on April 27 itself and the hardcopy had also been dispatched through a registered post. “They should check their e-mail. We had even called on the office’s number but no one responded. We hope that the BSM would get their proper and complete reply within the time,” said PK Siddharth, national convener of the Manch. He added that the organisation would also give a representation to lokayukta Amreshwar Sahay in this regard. “The organisations like this carry immense public faith and their conduct should not be above scrutiny. We have many institutions in Jharkhand and our aim is to generate public opinion so that these either perform or perish,” Siddharth told The Pioneer over phone from Bangalore. The Manch expected some action from the lokayukta against the high and the mighty of the State by taking suo motu cognizance of media reports and not just against “very small functionaries.” The letter had also questioned the office’s sincerity in spending most of its budget allocated for vehicles and others but out of the Rs one lakh allocated for making the institution popular, only Rs 29,000 were utilised.