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Ranchi, Oct 22 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday expressed strong displeasure over the pendency of over 200 preliminary investigations (PE) in the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The court directed the director general of the agency to file a detailed affidavit explaining why there is such a delay and when the investigation will be completed.
Hearing the suo motu PIL, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan said it is a matter of serious concern that out of 613 preliminary investigations registered with the ACB, 480 have been disposed of, while 211 cases are pending for a long period.
The bench said the state’s premier anti-corruption agency cannot use workload or shortage of staff as an excuse for delaying corruption investigations.
It also noted that the ACB was created to handle such investigations and ensure prompt action against corruption, adding that any delay undermines public confidence in the system.
During the hearing, a Deputy Superintendent of Police filed an affidavit on behalf of the ACB, claiming that the bureau was burdened with confidential verification, intelligence gathering and a large number of ongoing investigations, which led to delays in disposal of pending cases.
However, the court rejected this explanation. It said that such justification cannot be accepted.
It further said that arguments citing retirement or death of officers under investigation were equally untenable.
The court said that the responsibility of the ACB does not end merely because the officer concerned has retired or passed away. Every investigation must reach its logical conclusion to ensure transparency and accountability.
The High Court has directed the ACB Director General to personally file an affidavit detailing the timeline for completing the pending investigations.
The next hearing of the case has been fixed for November 6.
–IANS
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