New Delhi, Aug 31 (PTI) As many as 7,072 corruption cases probed by the CBI were pending trial in different courts, with 379 of them for over 20 years, according to the latest annual report of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

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, 2024, it said.

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, said the report made public recently by the anti-corruption watchdog.

"It was noted that 7,072 cases were pending for trials as on 31.12.2024. It is a matter of concern that 2,660 cases were pending for more than 10 years at the end of 2024," it said.

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.

During 2024, judgments were secured in 644 cases. Of these, 392 resulted in conviction, 154 in acquittal, 21 in discharge, and 77 "disposed of for other reasons", the CVC said. The conviction rate last year was 69.14 per cent against 71.47 per cent during 2023.

At the end of 2024, as many as 11,384 court cases, including non-corruption cases, were pending under trial in various courts, it said.

The CVC report also said that 807 cases were registered by the CBI in 2024, which included 674 regular cases and 133 preliminary enquiries.

"As many as 222 traps were laid for the detection of bribery cases during 2024, and 43 regular cases for possession of disproportionate assets were registered during the year," it said.

Out of 807 cases, 111 cases were taken up on the orders of constitutional courts and 61 cases on the references received from state governments and Union Territories, said the report by the CVC, which exercises superintendence over the CBI in connection with the agency's probe into offences alleged to have been committed under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

During 2024, CBI completed investigations in 1,005 cases, which comprised 856 regular cases and 149 preliminary enquiries. "At the end of 2024, a total of 832 cases were pending, out of which 776 were regular cases, in addition to 56 preliminary inquiries." According to the CVC report, of the total regular cases, 445 were pending for more than one year, and 42 preliminary enquiries were pending for more than three months, at the end of 2024.

The CBI had registered 502 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act during 2024, involving 859 public servants (221 of them gazetted officers), the report said.

As of December 31, 2024, a total of 529 corruption cases registered by the CBI were pending investigation. Of these, 56 were pending for over five years, 60 for more than three years but less than five years, 64 for more than two years but less than three years, 108 for more than one year but less than two years and 241 for less than one year.

"It is expected of the CBI to complete the investigation within one year of registration of a case. Completion of investigation would imply filing of charge sheet in a court of law wherever warranted after the receipt of sanction from the competent authority, if required," the CVC said.

It, however, noted "some delay" in the completion of the investigation in certain cases.

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,".

The CVC report cited "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" as reasons for the delay in completion of the investigation by the CBI. PTI AKV AKV NSD NSD

Investigation timelines criticised as many CBI corruption probes remain pending, highlighting sanction and resource-related delays. The CVC report documents a significant backlog of CBI corruption cases at trial and appellate stages, notes expectations that investigations be completed within one year with charge-sheeting following requisite prosecution sanctions, and identifies causes of delay including excessive workload, inadequate manpower, delays in Letters Rogatory and prosecution sanction, voluminous-record scrutiny in economic offences, and logistical challenges in witness examination.