With a downtick in the number of graft cases registered this year as compared to 2023, the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s (ACB) 2024 report card has worried the activists, who feel that the agency is not doing enough to weed out the all-pervasive ill. The decline is apparently a matter of concern for Mumbai from where the lowest number of bribe takers (53) were caught this year. With 231 ‘tainted’ officials, Nashik earned the infamy of having the highest number of bribe takers.
Between January and December 26, 2024, the ACB registered 707 cases, compared to 812 cases last year. This has also impacted the number of alleged bribe-takers, which has dropped from 1,186 in 2023 to 1,063 in 2024. According to the official data for this year, the ACB laid 670 traps compared to 795 traps in 2023. Notably, the figure on other counts – misappropriation and other corruption cases – saw a rise in 2024. The former category saw registration of 30 cases compared to 12 last year, while seven offences were filed in the latter category, which saw five cases in 2023.
In Mumbai, the ACB arrested 53 accused this year, including 50 caught in traps, one in a misappropriation case and two for other forms of corruption. However, the 2023 figure of those arrested stood at 57, including 50 caught in traps, one in a misappropriation case and three for corruption.
The ACB operates through eight divisions: Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Amravati, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Nanded. The number of those arrested in other districts are as follows: 114 in Thane, 217 in Pune, 93 in Nagpur, 99 in Amravati, 180 in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and 88 in Nanded.
Most cases (177) were registered against the revenue department officials, involving Rs34.44 lakh bribe money. It was trailed by the police department (133 cases, Rs53.4 lakh) followed by the regional transport offices (nine cases, Rs50.1 lakh), social welfare department (nine cases, Rs42.17 lakh). Surprisingly, not a single case was registered against any staff of the BMC, BEST or the prison department.
Activist Kamalakar Shenoy said, “The ACB is playing mischief with taxpayers. The bribe amount hints that action was just taken against lower cadres. The higher-ups, including ministers and bureaucrats, are saints.” Accusing the agency of illegally forwarding the complaints to the other departments, Shenoy said, “The ACB prepares incorrect closure reports. The frauds of thousands of crores are simply being brushed under the carpet.”
Sanjay Parande, former additional superintendent of police, ACB Mumbai, said, “The number of traps cannot be a yardstick for gauging the level of corruption in any particular department. There are more complaints against those in the police or revenue because they interact with the citizens on a daily basis.”
