CBI pips ACB in convictions

Hyderabad: The conviction rate of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is reportedly low when compared to the state’s Anti Corruption Bureau.

This means the accused nailed by the CBI get more breathing space before they are sentenced than those booked by the ACB.

Also, the time taken for trial in the CBI court is longer than the state’s ACB courts.

Currently, in Telangana state alone, there are 800 CBI cases, including appeals to squash cases, pending in the High Court.

Close to 300 cases are under trial across the four special CBI courts and the Central investigating body says conviction is low in bank frauds and not in trap or disproportionate assets cases. The ACB’s jurisdiction is state government employees.

Most of the cases are for taking bribes, disproportionate assets, and criminal misconduct.

The ACB also probes corruption cases referred by the state government, such as the medical seats scam. The CBI’s nature of functioning is similar. However, the time taken for prosecution and conviction is faster with the ACB.

A senior member of the CBI council explains why this is so: “In CBI cases, the process of seeking prosecution approval from the parent department is lengthy as permission has to be sought from Delhi. Secondly, the volume of documents and number of witnesses that are examined by the CBI is always on the higher side compared to the ACB. This causes delay in filing a charge-sheet.

The percentage of conviction has cumulatively come down in bank fraud cases and not trap and DA. However, the acquittal rate is less when compared to the overall disposed cases."

He adds, "In some bank fraud cases, the CBI has taken 12 years to file a charge-sheet, which may be a reason for delay in conviction. The other drawbacks the CBI faces are archaic infrastructure, pending transfers, vacant additional posts of public prosecutors, modernisation of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory etc."