"J & K Govt Sides With Corrupt Bureaucrats "
Jammu, June 22, 2024: RTI activist Raman Sharma has strongly criticized a recent circular issued by the Jammu and Kashmir General Administration Department (JKGAD), stating that the government is siding with corrupt officers and discouraging citizens and the press from reporting their misconduct.
Sharma, a Jammu based RTI
Activist condemned the LG administration for issuing Circular No. 14-JK(GAD) of
2024, dated June 20, 2024. The circular directs Administrative Secretaries,
Heads of Departments, and Cadre Controlling Authorities of J & K government
to pursue prosecution under Section 182 of the IPC against citizens if their
complaints are found meritless, and to initiate prosecution under Section
195(1) of the CrPC. Additionally, the order calls for the cancellation of press
accreditation, filing complaints with the Press Council of India, and halting
government advertisements to the media.
"On the grounds of
alleged harassment and mental agony caused to officers by false, frivolous,
anonymous, or pseudonymous complaints, the Jammu and Kashmir Administration is
shielding its corrupt officers and curtailing the fundamental rights of
citizens and the press as guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution of India,"
Sharma stated.
RTI Activist termed the circular a prime example of how the
J&K administration sides with corrupt and tainted officers, even using
government advertisement funding as a tool to suppress the press in Jammu and
Kashmir.
It is pertinent to mention that the circular also calls for providing free legal aid to accused officers and lodging complaints with the Crime Branch against citizens who file such complaints, but no such protection or free legal aid is provided to the victims of corrupt bureaucracy.
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