Accountability of all Government functionaries to higher layers of administration and finally to the Legislative Assembly is the recognized pattern of running smooth and discreet administration. Accountability has a number of aspects and rules and regulations set forth also form part of it. However, as the process of development has set in, and the country is on the path of making good progress in all walks of life in days to come, certain changes have appeared in the polity that are not healthy. For example, in recent years we have found corruption, lack of moral and ethical values and dereliction of duty eating into the vitals of society. Serious necessity of remedying these social aberrations arose. We in this State could not escape the over all phenomenon that was developing in the country. Let us remember that only recently we saw the Anna Hazare movement gaining ground in the country and people coming out in large numbers to support a movement that promised restoration of moral and ethical values of Indian society.
In this background, the State passed the Accountability Act way back in 2002 with the clear purpose of bringing even the highest state functionary to book if there was violation of rules and regulations. As a result of this the State Accountability Commission was constituted and the terms of reference were specified. The tenure of the Chairman of the Commission and its members was fixed at three years. How vigorously or tardily the Accountability Commission conducted its formal business is not the subject of discussion here. That is a separate issue. On 14 August 2014, the then Chairman and members of the Commission completed their tenure. Ever since, the Commission has become dysfunctional because neither the new chairman nor its members were appointed by the Government. In this way, Accountability Commission’s impact and importance was reduced in the eyes of bureaucracy because leaving the post of the chairman and members vacant for a long time gave a wrong message that the Government was not interested in making senior public functionaries accountable for their acts of commission and omissions.
In the recently held budget session, the house brought some vital amendments to the State Accountability Commission Act with the fundamental objective of giving more teeth to the Commission and creating circumstances and conditions in which it would become easier for the Commission to conduct its business. For example, the amendment increased the period of tenure of the Chairman and the Members from three to five years. It also increased the retirement age of these functionaries beyond 70. The Legislative Assembly wanted the Accountability Commission to resume its functions and even the State High Court had also hinted at early resumption of the Commission. In view of these developments, the Chief Minister has initiated the process of appointing the Chairman and two members by constituting a Search Committee called Cabinet Sub-Committee comprising three Cabinet rank ministers who will conduct search for suitable candidates for the post of Chairman and two members. The amended Act will give them wider space for selection. It is reported that the Law Department has already a panel of retired law knowing persons before it, which will be passed on to the Cabinet Sub-Committee. The shortlisted panel will go to the Select committee comprising of Chief Minister as Chairman and Speaker Legislative Assembly, Chief Justice of State High Court, Law Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
Chief Minister’s move is in the right direction. It reflects his interest in giving the State clean and honest administration. It has to be remembered that the State Accountability Commission has a wide range of powers normally not to be found in any other institution in any State. Public functionaries like Chief Minister, Ministers, Members of State Legislature, Chairmen/ Vice-Chairmen of various Committees and Boards fall under its jurisdiction. This shows how much care and objectivity are required in selecting the Chairman and two members of this vital Commission. Re-activating the Commission should lead to energizing the process of accountability of public functionaries. It also means indirectly strengthening good governance. The aim is that none in the power structure should go away with the idea that he is not accountable to the people of the State. Once this sense deepens, it will have salutary impact on the administrative mechanism in the State.
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