Posting of Tainted Commissioner as Commissioner (Appeals) - Bad Precedent
YESTERDAY, the CBI confirmed that it had registered a case against a Commissioner of Central Excise, Delhi and others for demanding a bribe of Rs. 60 Lakhs. And the Government has transferred the Commissioner as Commissioner (Appeals). Is a Commissioner who is not fit in the Commissionerate or who is charged with corruption, fit enough to be posted as Commissioner (Appeals)? Does the Government think that there is no scope for bribes for a Commissioner (Appeals)? Or is it because it is small money? The maximum amount involved in an appeal before a Commissioner (Appeals) is Rs. 50 Lakhs. Actually many appellants will be happy to pay a few lakhs to a Commissioner (Appeals) for a favourable order and a Commissioner (Appeals) can decide at least three cases per day.
It is an insult to all the Commissioners (Appeals) that somebody who is booked by the CBI is posted as a Commissioner (Appeals). Many of the Commissioners (Appeals) are honest by choice and that may be one reason why they land up in the post of Commissioner (Appeals) and if they are clubbed with somebody who is an accused in a CBI charge sheet, it is a sad precedent.
But then, where do you post such officers? There must be some packing section where there is no interaction with the public! Even if the CBI case is false and fabricated, for some time at least, these officers should be relegated to the back offices or better still asked to stay at home. It is cheaper to pay them salaries at home than ask them to work.
In this case, it seems that the CVC had in November recommended that the Commissioner should be transferred, but nobody bothered about CVC - until CBI caught up!
And poor Anna Hazare believes that a Super Lok Pal will end corruption!