KOCHI: A report filed before the Kerala High Court has revealed that the average number of cases disposed of annually by vigilance tribunals in the state is only four to five.
It also said the amount spent on salaries alone for the functioning of a tribunal in a single financial year exceeds an average sum of `1 crore. Apart from salaries, the Tribunal incurs an additional expenditure of over `1 crore towards various operational expenses.
Noting this, the High Court observed that it is high time for the government to consider whether such underperforming tribunals should be retained.
The court directed the government to conduct a performance audit of the vigilance tribunals.
The vigilance tribunal is a specialised judicial body established under the Kerala Civil Services (Vigilance Tribunal) Rules, designed to adjudicate disciplinary cases and inquire into allegations of corruption against government officials. It primarily handles matters referred by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), particularly those involving gazetted officers accused of criminal misconduct, bribery, or disproportionate assets.
During the hearing of a petition filed by a government officer seeking to quash a corruption case, the court was informed that the number of cases pending before the Vigilance Tribunals is very low, but there are unnecessary delays in the disposal of matters.
The government pleader also submitted that government departments are not properly utilising the services of the vigilance tribunal. There are two vigilance tribunals in Kerala, located in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.