Jammu, Feb 4: Exactly a year after initiating process for establishment of State Vigilance Commission, Jammu and Kashmir Government Monday appointed former Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda as the first Chief Commissioner of anti-corruption body in the state.
Highly placed sources told Greater Kashmir that state government issued the formal orders of Khoda on Monday in order to make the much awaited Commission functional.
“Governor N N Vohra had already given consent to the name of Khoda for his appointment as SVC head but the formal orders were issued today,” Sources told Greater Kashmir.
They said Khoda has been asked to take over the new responsibility immediately so that the Commission could start functioning. “He will be provided with all sort of the infrastructure and other support in order to ensure that the Commission starts effective functioning,” they said.
As per the State Vigilance Commission Act, the CVC have to hold the office for a term of four years from the date on which he enters upon his office or till he retires on attaining the age of superannuation, which ever earlier.
Sources, however, said that the fate of the two former bureaucrats, proposed for the posts of Vigilance Commissioners, remained uncertain as no orders were issued in this regard. A former IPS officer of 1974 batch, Kuldeep Khoda, retired as Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police. He remained the longest -serving DGP of the state at four years and ten months before he reached to the age of superannuation.
The Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Commission Act came in force in 2011 after the state Assembly passed the bill to set up a commission in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the Government started the process of appointment of Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and Vigilance Commissioners to the State Vigilance Commission on February 5, 2012 following issuance of guidelines for the appointment.
The Commission has been empowered to inquire or cause inquiries to be conducted into offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Samvat 2006 by public servants, employees of corporations, government companies, societies and local authorities owned or controlled by the Government.
The Chief Vigilance Commissioner and Vigilance Commissioners will have to take oath according to the form set out for the purpose in schedule to this Act.
The process for establishment of the Commission, however, faced many hurdles after a Selection Panel, headed by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah recommended a panel to the Governor for the appointments. Following a ‘disputatious’ meeting of the SVC selection panel on May 28, the government had recommended the name of Khoda for appointment as CVC while the names of former Financial Commissioner, R K Jerath and former Secretary to government Muhammad Sayeed Khan were recommended for appointment as two Commissioners.
However, the recommendations were returned to the Government by the Governor, who raised certain queries. The Government again forwarded the recommendations to the Governor with clarification on the queries raised by Raj Bhawan.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 4 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 5 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST