BENGALURU: While the recent raids on corrupt government officials by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) have exposed the ill-gotten wealth of the officials, the conviction rate in corruption cases seems to be paltry.
As per the numbers released by the anti-corruption agency, it has registered 1,803 cases since its inception in 2016. While most of the cases are under trial, the ACB has managed to get a conviction in 10 cases only. But the number of cases in which the accused was acquitted is 25, suggesting that the chances of corrupt officials getting off the hook are more than the chances of receiving punishment.
Among the 1,803 cases registered, chargesheets have been submitted in 753 cases while 682 cases are under trial. In these cases, 1,473 government staff, including 391 Class-I and above and people’s representatives, were arrested. While 1,335 accused officials were suspended, departmental enquiry was conducted against 493 staff.
As many as 87 cases are stayed by courts, 106 cases are waiting to be charge-sheeted as the sanction for prosecution is pending. While previous approval required for enquiry/investigation is pending in 520 cases, the ACB has transferred two cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) owing to lack of jurisdiction.