• 28  Dec
• 2018

PDR urges govt to withhold post-retirement benefits to accused

Even as the State Vigilance Commission continues its inquiry into irregular appointments in the Legal Metrology & Consumer Protection (LMCP) and Tourism departments, People for Democratic Rights (PDR) has appealed to the State government to withhold all post pension benefits of officials who are already under investigation. 

In a press release issued by its media & publicity affairs, People for Democratic Rights also warned of taking recourse to seeking legal remedy in case the probe turned out unsatisfactory or appeared to have shown leniency to any accused official.

Stressing that the current head of Legal Metrology & Consumer Protection department and former commissioner & secretary of tourism department, were also under investigation and that they would retire in 2019, the rights group explained that it made the appeal as it was a government practice to issue release order of a government servant months ahead of retirement so that pension papers and other retirement papers could be processed in advance. 

The rights group pointed out that if the officials got their release orders, then it would tantamount to the government almost giving them a clean chit even as the Vigilance Commission was still investigating the cases involving them. 

“Therefore, any such release order should be with the condition that their post pension benefits be withheld until the ongoing case involving them is cleared,” it emphasised.

People for Democratic Rights cautioned that if the state government discreetly issued the release orders without any such condition, then it would be absolving them from the serious charges of practising nepotism in appointments, promotions, regularisation and violating various government orders.

Urging the state government to withhold their pension benefits until their cases were cleared by the Vigilance Commission, the rights group said, if the release orders had already been issued to them without the above mentioned conditions, then these should be rectified.

 

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