No passports for corrupt Central govt officers

New Delhi: In what could spell further trouble for Indian government officers with pending charges against them, the Department of Personnel and Training, the Central Vigilance Commission and the Ministry of External Affairs have now redrafted rules that prevent such officials from applying for a passport. In February, the Union government informed the Lok Sabha that over 4,000 government employees had been booked in corruption cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation over the last three years. Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had also informed the Lok Sabha that the CBI had stated that 1,767 corruption cases had been registered against 4,123 public servants during 2016, 2017 and 2018, out of which charge sheets were filed in 900 cases, and regular departmental action had been recommended in 59 cases. The vigilance clearance for obtaining a passport can also be denied to employees after grant of sanction by the competent authority under the Prevention of Corruption Act or any other criminal matter and taken cognizance of by a court of law, the order added. The section allows authorities to refuse passports to an applicant if his/her presence outside India may prejudice the friendly relations of India with any foreign country, or if the central government is of the opinion that the issue of travel document to the applicant will not be in the public interest, among others.