No need to declare assets and liabilities now

After giving multiple deadlines to file the declaration of assets and liabilities by public servants, the government told emploees that there is no need to declare their assets now.

They will now be required to file declarations in a fresh set of rules as per Lokpal and Lokayukta act and the new format is yet to be finalised.

This order has come just a few days before to the extended deadline of filing declaration from August 2014 to December 2016. Already, the government has extended deadlines multiple times.

“Under the Public Servants (Furnishing of Information and Annual Return of Assets and Liabilities and the Limits for Exemption of Assets in Filing Returns) Rules, 2014 there is no requirement for filing of declarations of assets and liabilities by public servants now. The Government is in the process of finalising a fresh set of rules. The said rules will be notified in due course to prescribe the form, manner and timelines for filing declaration of assets and liabilities by the public servants under the revised provision of the said Act All public servants will henceforth be required file the declarations as may be prescribed by the fresh set of rules,” letter sent to all secretaries, chief secretaries of state governments and administrators of UT says.

According to a senior government official, fresh set of rules will be finalised but there is no specific time for that has been decided.

Earlier in July, DoPT has already extended the date of declaration. On 29th July which was also an extended date to declare assets, DoPT extended the deadline further and asked public servants to declare assets and liability by 31 December 2016.

Sources have confirmed that bureaucrats have not declared assets and liability since last two years.

Interestingly, last month Supreme court pulled up the Centre over the delay in appointment of Lokpal, saying it should not allow the law to become a "dead letter".

The apex court said that the Lokpal law that came into being after the nation-wide stir led by Anna Hazare cannot be made redundant just because the legislation was not amended to bring in the leader of the largest opposition party in the selection panel.

Read the order here