Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 25

Punjab Chief Vigilance Commissioner Justice Mehtab Singh Gill has virtually put deputy commissioners across the state in the dock for apparently going soft on revenue officials by delaying the decision on prosecution sanction. Justice Gill also made it clear that mutations pleas were being decided beyond the prescribed period, leaving room for corruption.

In a scathing communiqué to all deputy commissioners, Justice Gill asserted it had come to his notice that extraordinary delay was being caused for whatsoever reason regarding the grant of prosecution sanction. “This delay in prosecution sanction is specially where revenue officials are involved,” he said. Reminding the deputy commissioners of the legal provisions on the issue, Justice Gill asked them to grant or deny prosecution sanction within 30 days after the completion of probe by the investigating officer concerned. Justice Gill asserted Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, made it mandatory for deputy commissioners to pass appropriate orders within three months. Before parting with the letter, Justice Gill added it had come to his notice that the mutations were also being accepted or rejected beyond the stipulated period of 45 days, “which is a source of corruption”.

The communiqué comes less than three months after Justice Gill took over as the Vigilance Commissioner. Information suggests he is currently working against all odds with just one peon. The file for recruiting staff is believed to be lying with the state Finance Department. As of now, Justice Gill is reportedly receiving five to six complaints on a daily basis.

The Finance Commissioner, Taxation, too, has been asked to take a decision on the issue of granting sanction for prosecution of Excise and Taxation officials in the GST scam. “If these cases collapse at the stage of framing of charges in the trail court, the Vigilance Bureau will not be responsible,” Justice Gill ruled.