The statement of the Governor Satya Pal Malik over the review of the legislative accountability of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank is yet another controversy as the bank’s legislative accountability is the domain of the state assembly but not the governor more so in absence of a popular government. While the controversy revolves around the State Administrative Council (SAC) decision taken to change Jammu & Kashmir Bank into a public sector bank the Governor Satya Pal Malik has triggered a new row by announcing the decision of reviewing the bank’s accountability to state legislature. While the fact remains that the majority of MLAs’ during budget session of the assembly in January this year demanded accountability of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank to the state legislature the then Mehbooba led PDP-BJP coalition government did not concede the demand of the opposition parties for a variety of reasons. Knowing that any decision on the legislative accountability of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank would be reviewed by the new popular government which would most probably take the issue to the assembly the governor should leave it for the new popular government to decide the issue of Jammu & Kashmir Bank’s accountability to state legislature.
Administrative wisdom demands that Governor Satya Pal Malik through a formal order from the General Administration Department (GAD) puts into abeyance all the orders issued by it on the status of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank so for and leaves it for the new popular government to take a call on issues concerning the status of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank .
Already Governor led State Administrative Council (SAC) has brought the Jammu & Kashmir Bank into the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act and many constitutional experts say that Jammu & Kashmir Bank will be now subject to judicial review. So when the government has applied RTI rules to the bank and the bank’s decisions are subject to judicial review, an unwanted decision to review the legislative accountability of the Jammu & Kashmir bank by the Governor Satya Malik is likely to attract more criticism and create more confusion in the hearts and minds of the people. Administrative wisdom demands that Governor Satya Pal Malik through a formal order from the General Administration Department (GAD) puts into abeyance all the orders issued by it on the status of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank so for and leaves it for the new popular government to take a call on issues concerning the status of the Jammu & Kashmir Bank .
