New Delhi: As many as 7,072 corruption cases investigated by the CBI were pending trial in courts, including 379 that have remained unresolved for over 20 years, according to the latest annual report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
The report said that as of December 31, 2024, 1,506 cases had been pending for less than three years, 791 for three to five years, 2,115 for five to 10 years, 2,281 for 10 to 20 years, and 379 for more than 20 years. “It is a matter of concern that 2,660 cases were pending for over 10 years at the end of 2024,” the CVC noted.
In addition, 13,100 appeals and revisions—filed by both the CBI and the accused—were pending before various high courts and the Supreme Court. These included 606 pending for more than 20 years, 1,227 for 15–20 years, 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.
During 2024, courts delivered judgments in 644 cases: 392 resulted in conviction, 154 in acquittal, 21 in discharge, and 77 were disposed of for other reasons. The conviction rate stood at 69.14%, slightly lower than 71.47% in 2023. By the end of 2024, a total of 11,384 court cases, including non-corruption cases, were pending trial.
The report further revealed that the CBI registered 807 cases in 2024, including 674 regular cases and 133 preliminary enquiries. These included 222 trap cases related to bribery and 43 disproportionate assets cases. Of these, 111 cases were taken up on the directions of constitutional courts, while 61 were referred by state governments and Union Territories.
The agency completed investigations in 1,005 cases during the year—856 regular cases and 149 preliminary enquiries. However, 832 cases were still pending, including 776 regular cases and 56 preliminary enquiries. Notably, 445 regular cases had been pending for more than a year, and 42 preliminary enquiries had been pending for over three months.
In 2024, the CBI registered 502 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act involving 859 public servants, including 221 gazetted officers. By year-end, 529 corruption cases were still under investigation: 241 pending for less than one year, 108 for one to two years, 64 for two to three years, 60 for three to five years, and 56 for over five years.
The CVC expressed concern over delays in completing investigations, which are expected to be concluded within a year of case registration. It attributed the delays to excessive workload, shortage of manpower, slow responses to Letters Rogatory, and delays in obtaining prosecution sanctions. The watchdog also cited challenges such as examining voluminous records in economic offences and bank frauds, and difficulties in tracing and questioning witnesses in remote areas.
