Over 500 requests from CBI await govt dept's nod to punish corrupt: CVC

New Delhi: Over 500 requests from the CBI seeking sanction to prosecute corrupt government employees were pending with different government departments, said the annual report of the Central Vigilance Commission for 2022.

The CVC's annual report added that 272 of the requests have been pending for over three months.

The government departments are supposed to decide on the requests seeking sanction to prosecute a corrupt official within three months. An additional one month time can be further granted in cases where consultation is required with the Attorney General or any other law officer in his office.

Of the total of 525 pending requests, the report said a highest of 167 were with the Department of Financial Services under the finance ministry, 41 with the Maharashtra government and 31 each with the revenue department under the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Coal and Mines, among others.

As many as 25 requests were pending prosecution sanction with the Himachal Pradesh government, 23 each with the governments of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and 22 with the Ministry of Railways, as on December 31, 2022, according to the annual report.

A total of 20 such requests seeking prosecution sanction were pending with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, 16 with the defence ministry, 12 with the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, 11 with the Ministry of Home Affairs and eight with the education ministry, the report said.

The report added that there were six requests each pending with the Delhi government, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and five each with the Tamil Nadu government and the Lok Sabha.

The report said the CVC reviews the progress of cases pending for sanction of prosecution with various organisations.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reported that at the end of the year 2022, a total of 198 cases belonging to different organisations were pending for grant of sanction for prosecution under PC Act, 1988," said the report made public recently.

"In these cases, pending with the central/state government and other departments/ authorities, 525 separate requests have been made for prosecution sanction during the year 2022, as some of the cases involved more than one accused," added the report.

The report said the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) follows up the cases pending for sanction for prosecution on a regular basis, with the central government departments and its organisations for early decision of the competent authority.

"The Commission has also emphasised on the need for the competent authorities to decide upon the grant or denial of prosecution sanction by issue of appropriately worded speaking orders," the probity watchdog said. In cases of difference of opinion between the competent authorities in the ministries/departments/organisations and CBI/other investigating agencies, where the latter have, after investigation sought sanction for prosecution of public servants, the Commission resolves such matters of difference of opinion on the basis of available documents/materials and after taking into consideration, the tentative views of the competent authorities of the ministries/departments/organisations concerned, the report said.

The report further said the Commission also takes note of the pendency with the ministries or departments for previous approval sought by the investigating agency, under section 17A of the PC Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and follows up with the authorities concerned on a regular basis for expeditious disposal.

"As on 31.12.2022, 99 such references were pending involving 224 officers," it added.