Even broad functions not defined on lines of other States/UTs
*Several posts created, method of recruitment ignored
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Feb 13: Notwithstanding the fact that economic offences in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have witnessed surge during the past some years, a separate wing created in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to deal with this type of crime has not been made fully functional during the past nearly one year.
On the lines of several States and Union Territories in the country, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir vide Order No.17-JK-GAD (Vig) of 2020 dated March 10, 2020 accorded sanction to the establishment of an independent Economic Offences Wing in the Anti-Corruption Bureau with headquarters at Jammu.
Moreover, sanction was accorded to the creation of 56 posts for the Economic Offences Wing with the concurrence of the Finance Department. These posts include one Superintendent of Police, one Senior Prosecuting Officer, three Deputy Superintendents of Police, three Prosecuting Officers, 10 Inspectors (Executive), 10 Sub-Inspectors, 5 Junior Scale Stenographers, 20 Constables and 3 Orderlies.
It was mentioned in the order that the method of recruitment for filling up of these posts will be notified separately.
However, despite lapse of nearly one year the independent Economic Offences Wing has not been made fully functional as the seriousness towards handling the economic offences in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir through a dedicated wing faded away after the issuance of order of March 10, 2020, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
“Only Superintendent of Police has been posted in the Economic Offences Wing while as no serious attention has been paid towards posting other required number of officials”, they said while disclosing that during the past nearly one year even method of recruitment for filling up of these posts has not been notified.
Sources further said, “the General Administration Department, which has administrative control over the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the latter may claim that officials posted in the Bureau are rendering assistance to the Economic Offences Wing till the filling up of sanctioned posts but the fact is that economic offences form a separate category of criminal offences as such officials are required to be trained by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Academy at Ghaziabad and by the Reserve Bank of India Staff College at Chennai”.
“The officials posted in the Economic Offences Wing of the Police in several States and Union Territories of the country have been trained at these prestigious institutions in law, accounting , computer and other important fields for better handling of economic offences but this aspect has not received any due attention in Jammu and Kashmir till date”, they further said.
Further, unlike many States and UTs of the country, the broad functions of the Economic Offences Wing in Anti-Corruption Bureau have not been defined during the past nearly one year as if mere creation of independent wing was going to help the Government in effective handling of economic offences, which otherwise have witnessed surge during the past some years.
“Ignoring all these important aspects clearly establishes that half-hearted approach was adopted in the creation of Economic Offences Wing in the Anti-Corruption Bureau”, they further said, adding “if the Government really wants to achieve the objectives behind setting up of this wing it should ensure that all the sanctioned posts are filled up in the shortest possible time after notification of recruitment method”.
It is pertinent to mention here that economic offences such as credit card frauds, financial scams and money laundering are crimes which evoke serious concern and adversely impacts nation’s security and governance.
In other States and UTs of the country the Economic Offences Wings handle bank and financial institutional frauds/scams, offences in co-operative institutions, financial frauds with people by finance companies, financial frauds with people by private lenders, financial frauds in lieu of offering jobs, bogus cheques and bogus stamps causing financial loss and online economic frauds.
On these lines, the broad functions of the Economic Offences Wing in the J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau are required to be defined by the Government.
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