MUMBAI: For the fifth consecutive year in a row, from 2016-20, Maharashtra recorded most corruption cases in the country though cases have been steadily declining over two years.
The state had an abysmally low conviction rate of 7.8% in the pandemic year of 2020, according to data released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). It appears that senior government officers are not interested in acting against their corrupt subordinates caught for graft: Only 11 accused were removed from service and eight got minor punishments from department heads in 2020.
"A low conviction rate in corruption cases discourages people from coming forward to complain against corrupt public servants. When departmental action is not taken against corrupt public officers, it will give rise to suspicion that there is a mala fide intent and quid pro quo to allow tainted officers to go unpunished. The justice system requires to be overhauled for faster disposal of cases so as to instill confidence among the public.-TimesView"
The state recorded 664 corruption cases last year, which was a 26% decline from 891 in 2019. Officers attribute this to government offices functioning partially during lockdown and fewer people stepping out of home to approach them.
“One reason for declining corruption cases over two years is greater digitisation of services offered by government. When services are available online, there is lesser scope of human interference. That does not mean corruption will go away completely,” said Pravin Dixit, former DGP and head of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). He added that if a once-tainted public servant is posted in the same office in future, it discourages people from lodging graft complaints.
Maharashtra has more than 6,000 pending corruption cases in court, a key reason why convictions are low. By the time a case is heard, the investigating officer is transferred or has retired from service, and witnesses turn hostile.
“In trap cases, investigators have to get sanction from a competent authority (officer who has appointed accused). Typically, taking this sanction takes a long time,” said activist Anil Galgali. Around 95% of corruption cases recorded last year were trap cases.
To improve conviction rates, Dixit advices taking a leaf out of Gujarat ACB’s books. “Gujarat ACB started to rope in law graduates as interns. After evidence was gathered and paperwork prepared, the interns would scrutinise the work done and plug loopholes,” he said. Gujarat and MP have better conviction rates of 44% and 56% respectively.
“We have given a detailed checklist to ACB officers in Maharashtra on shortcomings in previous cases that need to be kept in mind while chargesheeting fresh cases,” said a senior ACB officer.
A case recorded when lockdown was strict last year was that of a sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) from Thane (rural) demanding a bribe of Rs 12.5 lakh from a complainant for helping him secure bail and unfreeze his bank account.
The SDPO had also roped in three private individuals for the offence.
