How Many Vigilance Commissioners are There

Introduction

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the highest authority in the Indian government, was created in 1964 to fight government corruption. The CVC now has legal standing thanks to a statute that the Parliament passed in 2003. Its duties include overseeing all vigilance activity carried out by the Indian Central Government and providing guidance to various central government organisation authorities on how to plan, carry out, evaluate, and reform their vigilance operations. It has the standing of an autonomous entity that is unaffiliated with any governing body.

In response to the recommendations made by the K.-led Committee on the Prevention of Corruption, the Government of India created it on February 11th, 1964. Nittoor Srinivasa Rau was appointed as India's first Chief Vigilance Commissioner to advise and direct Central Government agencies in the domain of vigilance.

The CVC's annual report covers, among other things, the work it completed, system faults that allow corruption in various Departments and Organisations, system upgrades, various preventative actions, and instances when the commission's recommendations were rejected.

In line with the suggestions made by the K.-led Committee on the Prevention of Corruption, the Indian government created it on February 11th, 1964. Nittoor Srinivasa Rau, India's first Chief Vigilance Commissioner, was chosen to direct and counsel Central Government agencies in the area of vigilance.

The CVC's annual report covers a variety of topics, including the work it accomplished, system weaknesses that allow corruption in different Departments and Organisations, system upgrades, many preventative measures, and instances when the commission's recommendations were rejected.

Role

The CVC conducts only one investigation—an assessment of government civil works—and no other types of enquiries. Government personnel cannot be the focus of corruption investigations unless a directive is issued by the government. A list of cases awaiting clearances is made public by the CVC; some of these cases might be older than a year.

The Delhi Special Police Establishment's investigations into any violations of the 1988 Prevention of Corruption Act are under the supervision and evaluation of the CVC, which was given the authority to do so by the 1998 Ordinance. To replace the Ordinance, the government put up the CVC Bill in the Lok Sabha in 1998.

The Bill was reintroduced in 1999, but it wasn't deemed to have had the support of both Houses of Parliament until it was ultimately turned into an Act in September 2003. The CVC has also made a list of accountable government workers who require discipline available to the public.

The CVC was recognised as the "Designated Agency" by the Union government in 2004, giving it the power to accept written complaints on any allegations of corruption or abuse of office and to recommend the best course of action. This report is sent to the president.

Limitations

CVC is a consulting firm. The Central Government Departments have the option of approving or rejecting the CVC's recommendations in situations of corruption. CVC doesn't have enough resources in comparison to the number of complaints it receives. The 299 authorised personnel of the organisation are in charge of eradicating corruption throughout more than 1500 Union organisations and ministries.

Before the CBI may get started, any person with the rank of Joint Secretary or higher must be the focus of an independent investigation. The concerned department must be contacted for this type of permission. The Supreme Court, however, declared in 2014 that this clause was unenforceable.

Criminal cases cannot be recorded by the CVC. Only situations requiring alertness or restraint are covered. CVC has the authority to manage CBI. However, CVC does not have the authority to request any CBI files or provide CBI guidance on how to conduct an enquiry. As the administrative arm of the CBI, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has the ability to appoint, demote, and suspend CBI personnel.

Even though the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha is a member of the committee that chooses the CVC and VCs, the Union government indirectly controls CVC choices since the committee can only take into account candidates who have previously been offered to it.