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| What is SAC really doing? | | Commission fails to release reports for 4 yrs | | Peerzada Ummer
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 24: The State Accountability Commission (SAC), which was established to act as a major deterrent against high level graft cases, hasn't issued its annual report since 2012, raising questions about its working.
Commission's official website http://jksac.nic.in reveals that last annual report was published during the financial year of 2011-12. Since then, no report has been released which could have revealed the functioning of the commission.
The SAC had been constituted under the J&K Accountability Commission Act-2002 to inquire into grievances and allegations against public functionaries. The Commission was supposed to consist of a chairperson and two members. The first chairperson was Justice R.P Sethi, a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
On the other hand, more than Rs 6 crore and 30 lakh has been spent on SAC during the past five years. During 2010-11, more than Rs 85 lakh were spent on the anti-graft body by the state; Rs 1 crore and 73 lakhs in 2011-12; more than Rs 2 crore in 2012-13.
Interestingly, Governor NN Vohra had announced in 2011 to strengthen the SAC, but the state government remained unmoved even over appointing the second member. SAC could not take suo-moto cognizance of any issue due to failure of the government to empower it.
The High Court had held that the anti- corruption watchdog cannot exercise suo- moto powers in absence of inherent powers.
As the present government continues to beat the trumpet of ensuring a transparent mechanism in the overall functioning of the state, it has done little to equip the already neglected SAC. So far, there has been no measure taken to accord a prosecuting agency along with the investigative wing to this anti-graft body. Its recently appointed chairperson has also threatened to leave if government continues to remain inactive over the measures that are needed to be taken on war footing basis.
Sources within the government reveal that scores of amendments made by successive regimes in the SAC Act resulted in exclusion of the public administration from the jurisdiction of SAC.
The Act, that was ought to put bigwigs under the scrutiny, has been undermined by the government. Its jurisdiction has been taken away by excluding public servants, government companies, public sector undertakings and universities which in public perception are cases of suspected corruption. Now its jurisdiction has been limited to political class only against whom there are no complaints being received at all. |
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