Hyderabad: The Assembly elections have come as a breather for 683 government officials who were booked in bribery cases by the Anti Corruption Bureau, Vigilance and the Enforcement Directorate.
Between 2015 and 2018, 419 officers were trapped and booked by the ACB and 264 by other agencies.
The agencies are waiting for approval for their prosecution. With only a caretaker government in place, files referred by the Vigilance Commission for prosecution have been placed in cold storage. Files referred to the Chief Minister are stacked up and are likely to remain untouched, until the new government is formed.
The Vigilance Commission’s primary objective is to advise the government on matters relating to corruption, misconduct, lack of integrity or other malpractices of government employees. Though the recommendations of the commission are advisory, in case of deviation it should have the approval of the Chief Minister and the matter should be placed on the floor of the House with a brief note explaining the reasons for deviation, but the procedure is not followed.
During the last three years, the commission submitted its opinion on 683 cases out of which 419 pertain to serious corruption related cases sent by the ACB. It is found that the highest number of cases kept pending are from the department of revenue, the commission had referred 160 cases pertaining to the revenue department out of which 137 cases pertain to serious corruption cases referred by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for prosecution.
“There is an abnormal delay at the Secretariat level in granting permission for prosecution of the officials. The cases referred to the Chief Minister are stuck. As the government has been dissolved, the cases will gain momentum only after a new government is formed. The election has turned into a breather for those booked,” Mr M. Padmanabha Reddy, Secretary, Forum for Good Governance told this correspondent.
