Madras High Court shocked to learn about corruption cases pending trial since 1983 – The Hindu

Chennai News

Shocked to learn that 1,635 corruption cases booked between 1983 and 2021 are pending trial in just 14 districts under the north range of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC), the Madras High Court has said the trial courts as well as the police must work together to ensure a speedy trial in such cases than indulge in a blame game.

Justice S.M. Subramaniam wrote, “If corruption cases are kept pending for years together, then, there is no possibility of controlling corrupt practices among public servants. The offenders will get an encouragement that they can escape from the clutches of law. Practical and pragmatic approach is required for the purpose of solving the problem.”

Taking note of a complaint made by the DVAC that the trial proceedings were not being conducted on a day-to-day basis because of which the agency find it difficult to produce the witnesses, the judge said that once the trial commences, it must be concluded at the earliest without any long adjournments.

“There is a current trend in the courts where parties seek adjournments for forum hunting, for harassing the other parties and to achieve their goals in an indirect manner. At the outset, various trickery methods are adopted by the parties to get adjournments in order to evade the proceedings or prolong the litigation,” the judge said.

Dealing with a corruption case pending for the last 22 years, he went on to state, “A few legal brains and ill-natured litigants are attempting to adopt such delaying tactics by finding out certain loopholes in the judicial system. Such ideas or intention of the parties, at no circumstances, be encouraged by the courts.”

The data obtained by the judge from the Superintendent of Police, DVAC (north range), revealed that 1,153 corruption cases booked between 2011 and 2021; 421 cases booked between 2001 and 2010; 54 between 1991 and 2000; and seven registered between 1983 and 1990 were still pending trial.

The number of such cases were more even in Chennai (128), Coimbatore (80), Salem (83), Tiruchi (112) and Madurai (56), which had special courts to deal with cases booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The judge termed such a delay in completing trial in corruption cases as extremely unfortunate. “If trial is allowed to go on in this manner in corruption cases, this court is afraid that all these cases will end in vain without any fruitful results. The very purpose and object of the Prevention of Corruption Act will be defeated,” he said, underscoring the need for the DVAC as well as the trial court to ensure a speedy trial.

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