Suresh N. Patel takes oath as Central Vigilance Commissioner

Suresh N. Patel takes oath as Central Vigilance Commissioner

 Suresh N. Patel has taken oath as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) on August 03, 2022. This post was vacant for a year. Patel, serving as the caretaker CVC, was administered the oath of office by President Draupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as the head of the Central Vigilance Commission. Former Indian Administrative Service officer Sanjay Kothari had completed his term as CVC on June 24 last year.

 Patel, a former managing director and chief executive officer of Andhra Bank, was appointed as Vigilance Commissioner in April 2020. It (Govt.) also approved the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau chief Arvind Kumar and former bureaucrat Praveen Kumar Srivastava as Vigilance Commissioners.

Central Vigilance Commission

 The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is an apex vigilance institution independent of the control of any executive authority and supervises all vigilance activities under the Central Government. It advises various authorities in central government organizations regarding planning, execution, review and improvement of their vigilance functions.

 In the year 1964, The CVC was set up by the government on the recommendations of the Anti- Corruption Committee headed by K. Santhanam. The statutory status of the Commission was confirmed by the Central Vigilance Commission Act in 2003. It is an independent body which is responsible only to the Parliament. It submits its report to the President of India.

Structure of CVC

 It is a multi-member commission consisting of a Central Vigilance Commissioner (Chairman) and a maximum of two Vigilance Commissioners (Members).

Appointment of Commissioners

 The Central Vigilance Commissioner and Vigilance Commissioners are appointed by the President on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister (Chairman), the Home Minister (Member) and the Leader of the Opposition (Member) in the Lok Sabha.

Tenure

 Their tenure is for 4 years or 65 years (whichever is earlier).