Central Vigilance Commission Tightens Grip on Anti-Corruption Measures

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the nation's foremost anti-corruption watchdog, has requested that all government agencies, public sector banks, and insurance providers make sure disciplinary matters are resolved rationally within the allotted six months.

In addition to managing corruption among government agencies, the CVC also oversees the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Emphasizing that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has periodically released recommendations on this subject, the commission has mandated that the involved organizations follow through on finishing disciplinary actions within a certain timeframe.

The CVC noted in its order to the chief executives of public sector banks and insurance companies as well as the secretaries of all central government departments that "on many occasions, there is inordinate delay in bringing the cases to logical conclusions, which is against the principles of natural justice and also defeats the very purpose of initiating disciplinary action."

The Prime Minister's Office receives reports from the DoPT.

The CVC said that the DoPT and the commission's current directives and guidelines were "strictly adhered to" by the relevant authorities, including the disciplinary authorities.

The directive said that the chief executive officer and the relevant disciplinary authorities may be notified of these instructions by the chief vigilance officers (CVOs) of the various organizations.

The commission said, "They may also follow up on all pending cases to make sure they are brought to a logical conclusion within the specified timelines."

The CVC further stated that training must be provided to both current and prospective inquiry officers (IOs) and presenting officers (POs) in order to guarantee the prompt and seamless conclusion of disciplinary proceedings. This will help establish a pool of qualified IOs and POs within the respective organizations.

The ruling said that "Reporting/reviewing officers in the annual performance appraisal reports (APARs) of such IOs/POs must give due weightage/cognition to IOs/POs who are serving as public servants and timely completion of departmental proceedings by them."

The IOs were given a deadline of six months by the commission to finish their investigation into the disciplinary actions and provide a report to the appropriate authorities.

The commission said that the same IO should carry out the investigation even after being transferred or promoted until he submits the report in order to guarantee the prompt conclusion of a departmental inquiry.

When an IO is transferred to a new station, the department inquiry may be conducted or continued using digital mode or video conference, or the IO's transfer orders may take effect upon submission of the inquiry report, according to the order.

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