Haryana Govt issues fresh SOPs to probe corruption cases

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 10

Haryana Chief Secretary has issued directions to all administrative secretaries, divisional commissioners and heads of department on the approved SOPs for the processing of cases under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Approval must

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Under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, no police officer shall conduct any inquiry or investigation into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant without the previous approval. This includes both in-service and retired public servants.

Under Section 17-A “no police officer shall conduct any inquiry or investigation into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant” without the “previous approval”.

This implies both for in-service and retired public servants. However, no approval is required in case of public servants being caught taking money red-handed.

The police officer in receipt of an information shall place the matter before the police officer of “appropriate rank” for seeking approval. The DGP or equivalent officer will be the police officer of “appropriate rank” in case of union ministers, cabinet ministers, MPs, CMs, state ministers, judges of the apex court and high court and chairpersons or MDs of public sector enterprises and public sector banks.

Similarly, the DGP or ADGP or equivalent officer will be the appropriate police officer for receiving proposal against public servants drawing pay at level 14 and 15 as per the Seventh Pay Commission, and board-level directors, senior management-level appointees, executive directors, deputy managing directors of public sector enterprises and public sector banks.

The police officer of “appropriate rank” will then submit the proposal for approval to the officer designated by the “appropriate government or authority”. The “appropriate government or authority” means the Vigilance Department or the administrative department of the state government, as the case may be, or an authority competent to remove the public servant concerned from his office.

The Administrative Department or Authority will examine the proposal within the statutory timelines. It shall examine the proposal by independent application of mind and take an appropriate decision under Section 17-A of the Act for being conveyed to the police officer of the appropriate rank.