316 IAS officers fail to file property returns for 2020

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 21

A whopping 316 IAS officers have not filed their annual immovable property returns (IPR) for 2020, inviting sharp reactions from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Law and Justice. It has asked the government to increase surveillance on erring officers.

As per rules…

• All-India Services Conduct Rules state that vigilance clearance will be denied to any officer who fails to submit annual immovable property returns of the previous year by Jan 31 of the following year
• The number of erring officers as of January 1, 2021, was 348, but 33 officers subsequently filed the returns, leaving 316 in the defaulting segment

“This makes a case for the institution of stringent measures other than denial of vigilance clearance against erring officers,” the committee said in its report to Parliament this week after the Ministry of Personnel acknowledged in its submission before the panel that 316 IAS officers had not filed their immovable property returns for 2020.

The number of erring officers as of January 1, 2021, was 348, but 33 officers subsequently filed the returns, leaving 316 in the defaulting segment.

“This is a matter of concern,” said the panel recommending the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to increase surveillance on the activities of such officials.

“The DoPT must also furnish a status note detailing the stringent measures that can be taken against IAS officers who fail to file IPRs within the stipulated time limit,” said the committee headed by BJP’s Sushil Modi.

The All-India Services Conduct Rules 1968 (Rule 16 (2)) mandate every member of the service to submit an annual return, giving particulars of the immovable property inherited, owned, acquired or held by him on lease or mortgage either in his name or in the name of any member of his family or in the name of any other person.

To weed out corruption and enhance oversight, the government had introduced the facility of online filing of IPRs from January 1, 2017.

Subsequently, the Secretary (Personnel) through letters dated December 4, 2018; November 21, 2019 and January 6, 2021 issued instructions to all state governments to ensure that IAS officers submitted their IPRs online in the IPR module as per the prescribed timeline.

The rules clearly state that vigilance clearance will be denied to any officer if he fails to submit his annual IPR of the previous year by January 31 of the following year.

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