6,900+ corruption cases probed by CBI pending in courts: CVC
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has reported that over 6,900 corruption cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are awaiting trial in various courts. Of these, 361 cases have been pending for more than two decades, the CVC added. The report also revealed that an additional 658 corruption cases are still under CBI investigation, with 48 of them unresolved for over five years.
Breakdown of pending corruption cases
The CVC's annual report provided a detailed breakdown of the pending cases. It stated that "1,379 were pending for less than three years, 875 for more than three years and up to five years and 2,188 for more than five years and up to 10 years." Furthermore, "2,100 cases were pending trial for more than 10 years and up to 20 years," with a significant number exceeding 20 years.
Appeals and revisions add to backlog
The CVC report also highlighted a backlog of 12,773 appeals and revisions filed by both the CBI and the accused. These are pending in different high courts and the Supreme Court. The report stated that "501 were pending for more than 20 years, 1,138 for more than 15 years but less than 20 years, 2,558 for more than 10 years but less than 15 years."
Reasons for delay in CBI investigations
The CVC report identified several factors contributing to delays in CBI investigations. These include "excessive work," "inadequate manpower," and "delay in obtaining responses to Letters Rogatory (LRs)." Other reasons cited were "delay in granting prosecution sanction by the competent authorities" and the time-consuming nature of scrutinizing voluminous records, particularly in economic offenses and bank fraud cases.
Vacancies and case registrations in CBI
The report also noted that there were 1,610 vacant posts within the CBI, against its sanctioned strength of 7,295. These vacancies spanned various ranks and departments. Separately, the report said that in 2023 alone, the CBI registered 876 regular cases or preliminary inquiries. The report stated that "198 traps were laid for detection of bribery cases during 2023 and 37 cases for possession of disproportionate assets were registered during the year."
