Patna, July 5: The department of personnel and training (DoPT) is sitting over the files pertaining to the prosecution sanction against two senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of Bihar, giving a blow to chief minister Nitish Kumar’s desire to root out corruption from the state.
The two Bihar cadre IAS officers in question — S.S. Verma (1987 batch) and K. Senthil Kumar (1996 batch) — have been charged with committing gross financial irregularities and accumulating wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income. While the case against Verma is being probed by the Special Vigilance Unit (SVU), the case against Kumar is under the investigation of the vigilance investigation bureau (VIB).
In both cases, the Bihar government sought prosecution sanction from the DPT, government of India, which is empowered to grant permission to prosecute the two senior IAS officials. But the DPT is sitting over the files for the past several months. The department officials have neither denied nor granted permission to proceed in the case, even after repeated reminders.
We are still waiting for the prosecution sanction against K. Senthil Kumar, who was put under suspension by the Bihar government last week,” said P.K. Thakur, the additional director-general of police (vigilance).
He said the chargesheet against Kumar could not be filed because of lack of prosecution sanction.
Even in Verma’s case, the special vigilance unit, which has completed its investigation, is waiting for the prosecution sanction. The SVU, however, submitted the chargesheet against the Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former director general of police (DGP) Narayan Misra because prosecution sanction was not required. The special vigilance court has already served notice to confiscate Mishra’s property.
Officials associated with the two anti-corruption wings of the state government maintained that they preferred not to submit the chargesheet against the two IAS officials because the court would not take cognizance in the absence of a prosecution sanction. “This has not only delayed in the submission of the chargesheet but it has also affected the trial,” a senior officer said.
Under scanner
Disproportionate assets cases lodged against public servants in Bihar during Nitish’s tenure
Narayan Mishra, director-general, home guards and fire brigade
SS Verma, (IAS) secretary, minor irrigation department
Yogendra Kumar, state drug controller
Awadhesh Prasad Singh, chief engineer, north (water resources department)
DN Chaudhary, director, Rajbhasa
