Name and shame IAS officers who do not file annual property returns: Parliamentary panel

The panel said the denial of vigilance clearance for empanelment and career progression was not working as an effective deterrent

It is mandatory for an IAS officer to submit an annual report of immovable properties they own but there are at least 32 such personnel who have not filed the returns for more than three consecutive years and 44 who have not filed for three years. Sixty-four officers have not filed such returns for two years.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension has told a Parliamentary Standing Committee that 158 IAS officers have not filed Immovable Property Returns of 2021 while there were 146 such officers in 2020.

It also told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice headed by senior BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi that there were 128 such officers in 2019 and 135 in 2018 who did not file the IPRs for 2018.

This has prompted the multi-party panel to ask the DoPT to name and shame the officers in public who do not submit annual returns, even as it expressed concern over the “significant number” of officers not filing the returns. It said this pointed to a “deeper malaise” in the system.

The panel told the Ministry that denial of vigilance clearance for empanelment and career progression was not working as an effective deterrent. The DoPT had earlier decided that vigilance clearance will be denied to officers who fail to submit their returns of previous year latest by January 31 of the following year.

This clearance is necessary for appointment to sensitive posts, empanelment and deputation among others.

Watch latest videos by DH here:

The committee has asked the DoPT to formulate a proposal to effectively tackle the issue and submit a status note within a month.

“The Committee recommends the DoPT to prominently publish the names of erring officers on its website. The Committee also recommends DoPT to furnish the names of defaulting officers along with the details of action taken against each officer in a month’s time,” the panel’s report on Demands for Grants of DoPT tabled in Parliament recently.

As per the All India Services (Conduct) Rule, 1968, every member of the Service is required to submit an annual return giving full particulars regarding immovable property inherited by him or owned or acquired by him or held by him on lease or mortgage, either in his own name or in the name of any member of his family or in the name of any other person. The DoPT has introduced an online filing facility since January 2017.