Maha Anti-Corruption Bureau holds interaction sessions with special court judges

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) is holding interactive sessions with judges of special courts to brief them on working of the agency and various other aspects involved in its functioning.

State ACB director general Praveen Dixit said their teams have been asked to interact with judges of special courts and brief them on working of the department and functionalities.

The process has been going on since January this year and will continue for some more time, he said.

"While we do have judges who know working of ACB well, but the new judges need to be briefed about the nature of cases, our working, technicalities involved," Dixit said.

Dixit said the interactions will help in speedy disposal of cases and help improve the conviction rate.

According to response to an RTI query, Maharashtra ACB has booked as many as 1,764 police officials and constabulary from state police department between year 2000 and 2014 but only 177 accused were convicted, while 573 acquitted.

"Our inspectors are briefing the judges with help of power point presentations, case records with Supreme Courts judgements and explaining them our modus-operandi," he said.

The officer however, did not reveal the number of judges who have been given the briefings so far.

On the agency's working, the ACB chief said, "proper co-ordination with field officers, accurate briefing of the lawyers representing prosecuting agency (ACB) and review of old cases and Supreme Court verdicts has been our revised modus-operandi.

As per data furnished on ACB's website, between January 2009 to May 2015, a total of 2,553 trial cases were heard in courts. Out of which only 591 accused (only 23 per cent) were convicted. This included 80 per cent of cases where accused were caught (taking bribe) red-handed.

In 2010, conviction rate was 19 per cent which improved to 29 per cent in 2014 but this year so far (till May) it was 24 per cent.

On the thin conviction rate, Dixit said their concern is that in cases where officers were nabbed red-handed should be convicted and hence, an interaction with judges will help not only in enhancing the conviction rate, but also in quick disposal of corruption cases.