Fate of J&K Vigilance Commission hangs in balance

Srinagar, March 04 : The fate of prestigious anti-graft body- Jammu & Kashmir Vigilance Commission- is hanging in balance, even as the law under which it was established was protected by the Parliament on August 5 when it gave nod to bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories.

Highly placed sources told wire service—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that government is yet to decide on its continuation in the Union Territory of J&K. “The government has to take a call on whether to continue or disband it,” they said, adding that a high-level committee constituted by the government had pointed out that there was no legal hurdle in its continuation.

It is worthwhile to mention here that J&K government had removed Chief Vigilance Commissioner PL Gupta and Vigilance Commissioners Gazzanfar Hussain and Hilal Parrey by invoking the Jammu and Kashmir Re-Organisation (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2019 after Re-Organisation Act came into force.

The Commission was established in 2011 during NC –Congress regime to weed out corruption from Jammu & Kashmir and supervise the functioning of Vigilance Organisation, which has been christened as Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2018.

Under the Jammu & Kashmir Vigilance Commission Act, 2011, the body is mandated to inquire or cause inquiries/investigation to be conducted into offences alleged to have been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, by public servants, corporations established in the state or under any Act of the Parliament or the Act of State Legislature.

The body became functional with effect from February 2013 after appointment of first Chief Vigilance Commission Kuldeep Khoda and Vigilance Commissioners R.K. Jerath and Gous-ul-Nisa Jeelani—(KNO)