Don’t delay graft complaints against govt. officials: Delhi L-G

He expresses displeasure over time being taken to process such cases

Graft complaints against government officials must be investigated without delay, Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said here on Tuesday while expressing displeasure over the time being taken to process such cases.

The L-G has taken a serious view of procedural lapses and delays by investigating agencies like the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) in the course of investigation into complaints and cases of corruption against government officials, Raj Niwas said in a statement.

“He has called for an explanation by ACB officers concerned for all matters pending for more than one year and asked the department to furnish a list of all such cases citing reasons for pendency to his Secretariat,” it stated.

Mr. Saxena issued strict instructions to the DoV and all departments to “carefully consider” all cases and complaints referred to them for comments and examination and ensure that these are provided within a fixed timeframe “after judicious application of mind.”

While there were many cases of investigation pending since 2012-2017, the administrative departments were found to not have furnished their comments. In others, the DoV had submitted “self-contradictory recommendations” for grant of sanction.

“Advising the DoV to ensure that requests from the ACB are submitted for his consideration only after due diligence by the administrative departments against whose official the complaint has been made, the L-G has instructed that comments of the administrative department be put on record without fail,” Raj Niwas stated.

“It should be ensured that the recommendations made by the various agencies are to the farthest possible extent, not in variance of each other and are not self-contradictory which will ensure speedy disposal of cases on one hand and also ensure justice to the complainant as well as respondent,” it added.