Kerala govt to set up more courts for speedy disposal of vigilance cases

The Kerala government has decided to increase the number of courts handling vigilance matters for speedy disposal of such cases.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for evaluating vigilance activities in the state, a government statement said.

Besides deciding to set up more courts, the meeting also came out with a slew of fresh directions for improving the probe in vigilance cases, the statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

Among the fresh directions, one was with regard to appointment of vigilance officers.

It was directed in the meeting that before appointing officers in the internal vigilance cell, an intelligence inquiry has to be conducted and a report of the same be prepared, the statement said.

For appointment of police officers to the vigilance department, it was directed that an examination has to be conducted and a list of eligible candidates prepared, it said.

The eligible candidates would be trained in vigilance work, a database of such officers would be prepared and from among them appointments would be made to the department, the meeting directed.

The officers appointed in this manner will be allowed to stay in the department for a minimum of three years.

At the meeting, it was also decided to set time limits for investigation of cases and filing of appeals where there have been acquittals by courts.

It was directed that the appeals be filed within two months and a decision was also taken to appoint a Liaison Officer to look after vigilance matters in the Kerala High Court, the statement said.

In addition to all this, another decision taken was that Vigilance Officers should submit their performance review reports to the Director of Vigilance every three months and a review meeting will be held at the Vigilance Directorate once in three months, it said.