Assam records jump in corruption-related cases, reveals NCRB data

Cases of corruption registered in Assam have witnessed a sharp increase in 2022 in comparison to the two previous years, according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data released on Monday. 

The state reported 57 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act and related sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) this year, while the number was 16 both in 2020 and 2021. However, nearly 95 per cent of the 57 cases remained pending before the courts at the end of last year. 

Among those registered last year, 50 were trap cases in which government officials were caught red-handed while accepting bribes. The other cases pertained to disproportionate assets (four cases) and criminal misconduct (three cases). 

Altogether 58 people were arrested in these cases last year, and charge sheets were submitted against 45 accused. While two persons were convicted, none of the accused was discharged in these cases, according to the NCRB data. One person was acquitted and two were imprisoned or handed major punishment, though no accused was dismissed or removed from service. 

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Regarding police disposal of cases by Anti-Corruption, Vigilance and Lokayukta under the Prevention of Corruption Act and related sections of IPC, the data revealed that 109 cases were pending investigation from the previous year. 

In 13 cases, final reports were submitted by the police and charge sheets were filed in 37 cases. The number of cases pending investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act and related sections of IPC at the end of 2022 stood at 116, the NCRB report said. 
The total number of cases being tried under these provisions of law before the courts was 78 in 2022, of which 41 were pending trial from the previous year. Thirty-seven new cases were sent for trial during the year. 

While one case was disposed of without trial in 2022, no case was stayed by the court in the last year. At the end of 2022, the case pendency rate in cases related to corruption was as high as 94.9 per cent in the state. Courts completed trials in three such cases last year, leading to conviction in two and acquittal in one. 

The conviction rate stood at 66.7 per cent. A total of 74 cases were pending trial at the end of the last year, with the court disposing of four cases during the last year, the NCRB data said.