SRINAGAR: State Accountability Commission Chairman (Rtd) Justice Bashir Ahmed Khan Monday said that SAC is a toothless tiger which lacks on all fronts.
There is no prosecution wing, no separate Investigating Officers. The Commission has lost almost all the powers due to multiple amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Accountability Commission Act, 2002, Khan told CNS adding that the Commission at the moment is unable to initiate action against the offenders in power.
He said that there is a dire need to restore the powers of the Commission. I have already written to Chief Minister and the Governor of the State and hopefully after their intervention the Commission will start functioning as it used to in past, he said.
Khan said that State Accountability Commissions jurisdiction has been taken away by excluding Public Servants, Government Companies, Public Undertakings and Universities etc. which in public perception are cases of suspected corruption. Its jurisdiction is limited to political class only and it implies anyone whether a bureaucrat or a politician in power cant be taken to task in case of any complaint against them.
Justice Khan said that the Commission should be given a semi-autonomous status, and proper infrastructure which includes the commissions own investigating agency, prosecuting agency and inquiry agency. Till date the Commission is toothless. Let us wait what the Government has to offer us in coming days, he said.
Khan who took over SAC Chairman in October 2015, has been the Acting Chief Justice of the J&K High Court from 2005 to 2007. He also remained a Judge of the Delhi High Court, where he rose to be the Acting Chief Justice. Two other members of SAC are Justice (retd) JP Singh and Justice (retd) BA Kirmani.
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