Bill curtails ACC power to arrest corrupt govt staff

The Sarkari Chakori Ain Bill 2018 was passed in Parliament on Wednesday with a provision for the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to take prior permission of the authorities concerned for arresting any public servant, reports UNB.

State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadique moved the Bill in the House and it was passed by voice vote.

As per the Bill, no public servant can be arrested until a court frames charges against him/her.

A government employee can be arrested before charge-framing only after taking prior permission from the authorities concerned.

Under the provision of the new law, a civil servant will be suspended initially and lose his/her job finally if he or she is given capital punishment or punishment of more than one year in jail for their offences.

However, the authorities will take departmental actions against them in case of a punishment of below one year's jail term.

Under the existing system, the service of public servants is controlled by different laws. There is no specific law in this regard. But the new will control the service of public servants and all the issues of their jobs will come under the umbrella of this law.

The existing age limit for the retirement of public servants remains unchanged at 59 while 60 for freedom fighters.

However, the government can send a public servant on forced retirement on completion of his/her 25 years in service without showing any reason in the public interest whereas any public servant can go on voluntary retirement on completion of 25 years in service.

If any public servant takes a foreign citizenship, he/she will lose the job. But in the case of dual citizenship, nothing was said in the law.

A public servant will get financial support from the government to face a criminal case if it is filed for any cause while performing professional duties.