Make anti-graft bodies strong

TNN Bureau. Updated: 2/25/2017 1:16:52 AM Edit and Opinion

In a welcome development the state government has chosen the new Chief Information Commissioner. A key institution for pushing transparency and good governance, the State Information Commission had been lying defunct since November last year when its last member retired on end of his term. A month before that the Chairman had also retired. The government was under fire for rendering the commission defunct. In a meeting earlier this week the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Leader of Opposition Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh sat together barely for 12 minutes –as reported by this newspaper –to unanimously decide on the name of Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, a former bureaucrat, as the new Chief Information Commissioner. The name is to be forwarded to Governor NN Vohra for the final order. Given impeccable integrity of Ganai, the Governor is expected to clear his name soon. This will effectively bring the Commission back to life but efforts are still awaited for its good health. The panel will have to meet again to decide on the two Information Commissioners. Even as Jammu and Kashmir had played pioneering role in establishment of the Information Commission much before such institution was established at the national level, but yet the political governments are seen averse to independent and vibrant working of the Commission. There have been instances of dilution of legislation and refusal of cooperation with Commissioners in the past. Keeping the Commission headless for a long while is also an indication in itself that the government doesn’t accord much importance to such institutions. The Information Commission is not the case in isolation. Almost every Commission and independent authority is made to be seen subordinate to the political executive. Take the case of Accountability Commission. Some lacunae in the legislation have deliberately been left unaddressed. For example, most of the cases of corruption being heard in the Accountability Commission have been stayed by the High Court. The government has not taken a call on legislation on whether to keep the cases in Accountability Commission open to review for the High Court or give Commission the ultimate powers in dealing with cases of corruption. Another body dealing with corruption, the State Vigilance Commission also presents a sorry state of affairs. Even as this Commission under the outgoing chief Kuldeep Khoda was a little more ambitious in fighting corruption more through media trials than by procedures, an air of mistrust between the government and the Commission prevailed. It is though another welcome step that the government has moved the procedure to select new Commissioners for SVC as well. This symbolism of anti-graft bodies should be ended with their empowerment, both by legislations and perception.


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