Speedy trials of corruption cases needed
Why do the corrupt go scot free in our country, is a question that haunts almost every soul? The corrupt in most of the cases manage to escape the law using various loopholes and as such the peoples trust in the system gets shattered.
Importantly, corruption cases across India require speedy trials to ensure justice is delivered promptly and to prevent further erosion of public trust in the system. For evolving such a mechanism the government needs to act fast and bring in legislations where corruption cases are brought up for trial in a time bound manner.
Recently, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) raised many facts that point out that corruption cases are witnessing slow trials and the culprits in most of the cases are not being tried.
As many as 7,072 corruption cases probed by the CBI are pending trial in different courts, with 379 of them for over 20 years, the CVC report mentioned. Of the total cases, 1,506 were pending for less than three years, 791 for more than three years and up to five years, and 2,115 for more than five years and up to 10 years, as on December 31, last year.
A total of 2,281 such corruption cases were pending trial for more than 10 years and up to 20 years, and 379 for more than 20 years. According to the report, as many as 13,100 appeals/revisions, filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and by the accused, were pending in different high courts and the Supreme Court.
Of these, 606 were pending for more than 20 years, 1,227 for more than 15 years but less than 20 years, 2,989 for more than 10 years but less than 15 years, 4,059 for more than five years but less than 10 years, 1,778 for more than two years but less than five years and 2,441 for less than two years, it said.
Ironically, the reasons for the delay in completion of the investigation include delay due to excessive work, inadequate manpower, “delay in obtaining responses to Letters Rogatory and delay in granting prosecution sanction by the competent authorities.
Besides, the time-consuming efforts required for scrutiny of voluminous records, especially in economic offences and bank fraud cases, and time and efforts required to locate and examine witnesses available at remote locations are proving as major reasons for the delay in completion of the investigation by the probe agencies like the CBI.
Since the trail period is getting extended resulting in delay in settlement of corruption cases the government needs to establish a mechanism so as to streamline documentation requirements and reduce unnecessary adjournments.
Besides, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) should also be encouraged to resolve disputes outside the traditional court system.
