Sikkim government withholding Patra Commission's report: Congress

GANGTOK: The state Congress today alleged that the Sikkim government has been "withholding" the Patra Commission report from the assembly as well as the High Court for almost five months.

Addressing a press conference, Sikkim PCC general secretary and spokesman Padam Bahadur Chettri said the state had on July 24 filed an additional affidavit through the Additional Secretary of Home Department informing that the Patra Commission had submitted its report to the government on March 5.

The state government had appointed the commission of inquiry headed by Justice (Retd) R K Patra to inquire into allegations of corruption against the chief minister and several cabinet ministers.

He said as per the provisions of the Commission of Inquiry Act, it is mandatory for the concerned government to place the report of the commission of inquiry in the assembly. Nearly five months have passed since the commission submitted its report but the people of the state have not been made aware of it and no action has been taken on it.

"If the government had received the report from the Patra Commission on March 5 this year then why was the report not tabled in the assembly?" Chettri asked. The report was not tabled as the government does not want to act on the report, he claimed. "As per section 3 (4) of Commission of Inquiry Act it was incumbent upon the appropriate government to give the action taken report within 6 months," he said.

"The whole purpose of the Commission of Inquiry was to keep the CBI away from the investigation and to curb the voice raised by the people of Sikkim against corruption," Chhetri alleged, adding, "The Commission was appointed illegally and now the report is also being withheld."

J B Darnal, who had challenged the validity of the institution of Patra Commission in High Court in 2011, also attended the meeting. Chettri too had filed an application in the HC for intervention claiming that the commission was "illegally constituted" to prevent CBI from investigating.