Fadnavis wants quick action against officials convicted for graft

In a crack down on corrupt government officials, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday asked for immediate action against those convicted in graft cases. There are around 34 such employees working in various departments of the state government.

In a crack down on corrupt government officials, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday asked for immediate action against those convicted in graft cases. There are around 34 such employees working in various departments of the state government.

While taking stock of graft cases and probes by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB), the CM came across cases of employees convicted for accepting bribes, but still in service. Fadnavis has sought an explanation from the superiors of these employees and has directed the chief secretary to look into the matter.

According to officials in Mantralaya, in some cases, action has not been taken; in some others, the order has not been convened to the ACB; while there are a few cases in which the convicted employees have appealed in the higher court and got a stay on their service termination order.

“Any government employee who is behind bars for more than 24 hours gets suspended from service, but pending inquiry, the employee gets reinstated after a certain period. Once he has been convicted in the case, he is immediately terminated from service. The responsibility lies with the department head. The employee loses all his service benefits on termination after conviction,” said an official.