Over 7,000 corruption cases are pending trial in courts
What's the story
A recent report by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has revealed a massive backlog of corruption cases in India. The report states that more than 7,000 cases investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are currently pending trial in various courts across the country. The CVC's annual report highlights the need for expeditious trials and appeals to ensure justice is served in a timely manner.
Case details
Breakdown of pending cases
The CVC report provides a detailed breakdown of the pending cases. Of the total 7,072 corruption cases, 1,506 have been pending for less than three years. Meanwhile, 791 cases are pending between three to five years, and 2,115 between five to 10 years. A total of 2,281 corruption cases are pending trial between 10-20 years, while another 379 have been pending for over two decades.
Appeal backlog
Backlog of appeals in High Courts, Supreme Court
The CVC report also highlights a huge backlog of appeals in the High Courts and the Supreme Court. A total of 13,100 appeals/revisions, filed by the CBI or accused persons, are pending in different courts. Among these, 606 have been pending for over 20 years, while another 1,227 between 15-20 years. The remaining cases are distributed across various time frames: 2,989 for 10-15 years, 4,059 for 5-10 years, 1,778 for 2-5 years, and 2,441 for less than two years.
Concerns raised
CVC report highlights long-pending cases
The CVC report expresses concern over the large number of long-pending cases. It notes that 7,072 cases were pending for trials as of December 31, 2024. The report highlights that it is a matter of concern that 2,660 cases were pending for more than 10 years at the end of last year. This emphasizes the need for timely justice in corruption cases to uphold public trust in the judicial system.
CBI report
Performance of the CBI in handling corruption cases
The CVC report also details the performance of the CBI in handling corruption cases. In 2024, the agency registered 807 cases, including 674 regular cases and 133 preliminary inquiries. Of these, 111 were taken up on constitutional court orders, while 61 were based on references from state governments/Union Territories. The report further reveals that as of December 31, a total of 529 corruption cases registered by the CBI were pending investigation.