Centre asks Bihar not to book Jharkhand officials

patna: the union home ministry hastaken serious note of institution of cases and vigilance inquiry by the bihargovernment against ias and ips officials, transferred to jharkhand after thebifurcation of bihar. the union home ministry has directed the bihar governmentto abide by the bihar reorganisation act, 2000, and subsequent clarification ofthe department of personnel and training, government of india, which clearlystipulate that any vigilance inquiry and disciplinary action against adefaulting official will be decided by the “successor state�.secretariat sources said here on thursday the ministry has sent a note to thebihar government, clarifying the jurisdiction of the two states with respect tosanction for prosecution of the personnel, who have been provisionally orfinally allotted a new cadre. the centre’s move follows complaints by thejharkhand government that many of its officials, who were previously serving theunited bihar, were being victimised through criminal cases and vigilanceinquiries. the jharkhand government had sought a directive from the centre tobihar government with respect to sanctions for prosecution of the officials. theunion home ministry’s order said that exercising the powers conferred bysection 76 of the bihar reorganisation act, 2000, the central government directsthe bihar government to let the successor state complete the vigilanceinquiries, if any, pending on november 15, 2000 against all-india officers whohave been allotted the successor state cadre. the order further says that where“a vigilance inquiry, including any vigilance inquiry which may have beeninitiated by composite state of bihar prior to the reorganisation of bihar, hasbeen completed and a determination is to be made by the state government as towhether the findings warrant initiation of disciplinary proceedings or any otheraction, such determinations shall be made by the state government which theofficer has been finally allocated�.