The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Samal report: facts before people in a month

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Thursday, Nov 15, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Samal report: facts before people in a month

Special Correspondent

TD leader’s demand for judicial probe into report rejected

HYDERABAD: The Government will place all facts before people within a month on the report of the former Vigilance Commissioner R. C. Samal on “corrupt” IAS officers and others.

Announcing this in the Legislative Council on Wednesday in response to a question tabled by D. Veerabhadra Rao (Telugu Desam), Higher Education Minister D. Srinivas said a committee had been formed with the Chief Secretary as chairman, directors-general of Anti-Corruption Bureau and Vigilance & Enforcement as members and Principal Secretary (political) as convener to examine the Samal report titled “My Years as Vigilance Commissioner of AP.”

The committee would submit its report shortly.

Demand rejected

The Minister rejected Mr Veerabhadra Rao’s demand for a judicial inquiry into the Samal report on the ground that the report was “unofficial.”

Mr Samal prepared the report as a monograph after his retirement in September, 2007, he said.

“Even so, the Government took it seriously and referred it to the committee with a view to winning the confidence of the people.”

Intervening, Panchayat Raj Minister J. C. Diwakar Reddy said he knew how Mr Samal acted in a lopsided manner while dealing with vigilance cases, treating two employees differently although they faced the same charges.

He, indeed, had written to the Chief Minister pointing out the lapses committed by Mr Samal.

B. V. Mohan Reddy (teachers) criticised Mr Samal for “torturing” employees facing Vigilance cases during his tenure.

Congress members contended that if Mr Samal was sincere in his views expressed in the report, he would have taken action before retirement.

Status of pending cases

Mr Veerabhadra Rao, who staged a dharna in the well when his microphone was switched off midway, said that the Chief Secretary should not head the committee since Mr Samal made remarks even against him.

He wanted to know as to what action had been taken over the 1,470 pending Vigilance cases and 850 other cases for which individual reports had been submitted.

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