Give targets only for anti-graft cases: CBI director issues new probe guidelines

Sood issued the new guidelines after suppressing old practices. “Targets should only be given for registration of cases pertaining to anti-corruption. For special crimes, bank frauds and economic offences, allocation of cases from the policy division unit should be done in line with resources and other factors in consultation with the director, CBI,” the order states.

Last year, 946 regular cases/preliminary enquiries – 829 RCs and117 PEs – were registered by the CBI and 1,025 cases are pending till 2022. As many as 10,732 cases were pending under trial in various courts till December 31, last year.

“163 traps were laid for detection of bribery cases and 46 cases for possession of disproportionate assets were registered in 2022. Out of 946 cases, 107 were taken up on the orders of constitutional courts, while 30 cases were initiated on references received from state governments/ Union Territories. Judgments were received in 557 court cases, including non prevention of corruption Act cases, of which convictions were issued in 364, acquittals in 111, discharge in 13 cases, 69 were disposed of for other reasons,” an official said, adding that last year the conviction rate was 74.59% as compared with 67.56% of 2021.

“For disposal of under investigation/further investigation/ pending trial cases, each HoBs will submit their overall pendency and their own targets for the next calendar year to the joint director (JD), policy, by November 30 every year. Thereafter, JD, policy, in consultation with director, CBI, will issue targets for the next year by December 15. It is expected that HoBs will prepare targets for themselves in sync with their pendency, resources and ability,” Sood said in his order.

In its annual report for 2022, the Central Vigilance Commission has said that normally it is required of the CBI to complete investigations within one year of registration of cases.

The commission has observed some delays in completing investigations in certain cases. “Some of the reasons for such delays include excessive work, inadequacy of manpower, delay in obtaining responses to Letters Rogatory, time required for verification of documents/ title deeds in disproportionate asset cases, delay in obtaining forensic reports from laboratories and reports from other experts, delay in receipt of prosecution sanction from competent authorities, delay in providing records by the departments concerned, time taken in scrutiny of voluminous records, especially in economic offences and bank fraud cases, and time taken in locating and examining witnesses living in distant places,” the report said.