Chhattisgarh govt set up enquiry committees in graft cases: AG

Chhattisgarh government has set up enquiry committees in several corruption cases against its employees referred to it by the Lokayukta, a report by the Accountant General (AG) has stated.
After Lokayukta's recommendation, the state government has constituted an enquiry committee and officers at the levels of Chief Executive Engineer, Janpad and district panchayat, Joint Director, Additional Collector, Executive Engineer, Superintendent Engineer and Chief Engineer were appointed as enquiry officers.
The enquiry by a non-legal officer after recommendation
of probe by a Chief Justice of High Court is proving the purpose of establishment of Lokayukta as meaningless, said the report by AG, which act as distant arm of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

The report, which was accessed through RTI by activist Ajay Dubey, was prepared after inspecting documents for the period between December 2008 and June 2013. The audit was conducted by AG officials between August 2-6.
Chhattisgarh Lok Ayog Adhiniyam (or Act), 2002 provides for appointment of an authority or authorities for the enquiry into specific information of misconduct or complaint against certain public servants.

The Act mandates that the state authorities will complete probe within three months on the corruption cases referred to it by the Lokayukta.
It was also found during the audit that as many as 98 such recommendations were sent to the concerned state government officials by Lok Ayog or Lokayukta. Out of these, action has been taken in 43 cases and no action was taken in 55 others which were under consideration of the state government.

The state government is informing within three months about the initiation of enquiry after receiving recommendation from Lok Ayog. But seven cases between 2008-10, eleven for the period between 2010-11 and 19 cases of 2011-12 were still pending, it said.