GANGTOK, 7 AUG: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has rapped the Sikkim Police for filing “frivolous” vigilance cases as there has been zero conviction rate in such cases since the past six years.
The CAG audit report for the year 2007-2008 mentioned that not a single conviction has taken place out of the 80 vigilance cases registered in the state since 2003.
As many as 81 per cent were accused in this regard and 26 out of 32 were acquitted by the court in vigilance cases since 2003. The report also said that most of the cases were “frivolous” in nature.
The top auditor said the vigilance cases pending for investigation ranged between 29 to 100 per cent and the police authorities had failed to explain the reasons on record till date.
The CAG also questioned the credibility of the 47 per cent conviction rate in other crimes, as reported by the state police the National Crime Record Bureau in 2005, saying it has found this average to be at 17 per cent.
Highlighting a “sharp increase” in the crime rate in Sikkim over the years, the CAG said the state police had failed to tackle crime as per a coordinated operational plan.
The CAG said police had failed to implement the recommendations of the National Police Commission for modernisation of police force and prison administration, though the state government has signed an MoU with the Centre in this regard.
Police has failed to devise any long-term or medium term plan for crime management nor has it prepared an activity report to highlight its achievements and major activities, the auditor said.
The CAG said the police department had overspent beyond its annual budget between 2003 and 2008 - the period of audit.
The audit report also found that there was a shortage of 33 officials in the Sikkim Police Service (SPS) ranks and 284 constables during 2003-08, while at the same time, there was surplus strength of 109 officers comprising police inspectors, sub-inspectors, head constables and drivers.
