CBI chief blames 'judicial delays' for contributing to corruption

New Delhi, Nov 17 (UNI) Holding the ''weak judical process'' as a ''significant contributory factor'', among others, as factors encouraging corruption in the country, CBI Director Vijay Shankar today said more than 6,000 anti-corruption cases were pending in the courts.

Speaking on the second day of the Conference of CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaux here, Mr Shankar accused the courts of sitting on cases for ten, 15, or even 20 years to complete trials, even as ''we complete investigations, in 90 per cent of cases, within a year or two''.

''Judicial process is marred by long delays and poor conviction rates,'' he said adding ''legal inadequacies of the anti-corruption laws also help the unscruplous elements''.

However, the CBI Director added that lack of transparency and accountability in governance, erosion of moral values and scarcity of services were other factors which encouraged corruption.

Calling for fast track disposal of trials in anti-corruption cases, he said vigilance awareness in public and making fight against corruption citizen centric, instead of government centric, was mandatory for effective checkmating of corruption.

Acknowledging that Anti-Corruption Bureaus worked under tight and direct control of bureaucrats and political set-ups, and sometimes even without even minimal resources and infrastructure, Mr Shankar said reforms, strengthening and modernisation of State ACBs had become imperative in view of technological leaps while offering help and cooperation to train their cadre.

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