Properties of IAS/IPS officers on RTI scanner

[karira]

As reported by Hueiyen News Service in e-pao.net on 07 November 2008:
http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=19..081108.nov08

Properties of IAS/IPS officers on RTI scanner

Imphal, November 07 2008: MANIPUR INFORMATION Commission will conduct a hearing on November 12 complaint against under secretary, state department of personnel for not providing the list of the Indian Administrative Services, IAS officers and Indian Police Services, IPS (Manipur and Tripura cadres) serving under the Manipur government along with particulars of children, wives and female partner/s (if any) and their properties to an applicant seeking the same.

The applicant lodged the complaint after the SPIO, department of personnel failed to convert into action to the dreictive of the chief information commissioner to provide the information within a week time from the date of issue of the order.

The order was issued on September 23 last.

The state chief information commissioner, RK Angounsana gave the following a complaint lodged by one Wahengbam Joykumar of Wangkhei Hijam Leikai against the under secretary (DP) who is also SPIO on his refusal to provide the information under section (1) (e) of the Rights to Information Act, 2005 .

Joykumar has sought the information from the SPIO, department of personnel under the RTI Act 2005 in his application submitted on June 3, 2008 and he lodged the complaint to the chief information commissioner after failed to get the information he wanted challenging the reason given by the SPIO refusing to disclose the information.

In this complaint note, the applicant mention that in general, most of corrupted officers used to record their movable as well as immovable properties in the name of their family members and relatives in cases of holding disappropriate assets.

He also observed that some of IAS officers are living with another woman in the form of live in relationship with or without a divorce decree from their respective married wife even though their service rules prohibits of having more than one spouse.

As a citizen of the country, he has the rights to know those particulars of "so called responsible public officers", he said.

Apart from this, IAS/IPS officers are drawing salaries from public exchequer and at the same time they have been using/managing public money for numerous development programmes and welfare schemes in the public interest, the complaint note went on to say while observing that if they are found to be misused those money/funds, they are require to be checked.

While agreeing to the observation of the under secretary department of personnel which stated that the only way the citizens can monitor the properties of IAS and IPS officers is to ascertain their annual properties returns, the complainant stated that now many IAs and IPS officers are seem to be accumulating denami income or properties.

"Besides, most of the developmental programme and welfare schemes are not either maintained qualities or existed in the sites ad this information are known to public after filing RTI applications," he said.

The complainant further observed that the annual property returns cannot be treated as a fiduciary relationship, as the submission of the same is mandatory under the service rules and the disclosure of annual property returns cannot be exempted by merely claiming as fiduciary relationship while alleging the SPIO is trying to take side of those officers who had accumulated huge assets disappropriately to their known sources f income by citing wrong provisions of law.

After thoroughly look into the complainant's appraisal, the state chief information commissioner fixed the hearing on November 7 but it was again deferred till November 12 next.

[advocate rajesh]

Sir, This is the most burning topic as far as RTI is concerned and if we get the decision in favour only then we can say that transpracy is there. Because first of GOVt and its officers themself will have to be honest. If they are are not comming farward to disclose their properties something wrong is there. Kindly continue the information when it comes to sir.