Lokpal Gets 12 Corruption Complaints Between April-June This Year

Anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal has received 12 complaints of corruption, including eight against senior government officials, between April and June this year, according to latest official data.

As many as 110 complaints, including four against Members of Parliament (MPs), were received by the Lokpal during 2020-21, registering over 92 per cent decline from 1,427 plaints received in 2019-20.

Of the total of 12 complaints received in the first three months of the ongoing fiscal, eight were against group A or B officials and four were against "chairperson/ member/officer/employee in any body/board/corporation/ authority/company/ society/ trust/autonomous body" wholly or partially financed by the central government or controlled by it, according to the Lokpal data.

It said two complaints were closed after preliminary examination and in three complaints seeking preliminary inquiry were pending with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

A status report is pending from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in one complaint, showed the data for 2021-22, (up to June 2021), without mentioning further details.

Anti-corruption activist Ajay Dubey said the Lokpal should share details of prosecution, if at all, done by it in past corruption cases received by it.

"It has been over two years since the Lokpal started working. The Lokpal must make public details of prosecution in the corruption cases received by it," he said.

Mr Dubey also asked the central government to fill two vacant posts of members in the anti-corruption ombudsman at the earliest.

Replying to an RTI query filed by this journalist, the Lokpal has recently said that it has written to the central government for the directors of inquiry and prosecution.

President Ram Nath Kovind had on March 23, 2019 administered the oath of office to Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as the chairperson of the Lokpal, the apex body to inquire and investigate into allegations of corruption against public functionaries, including the prime minister.

The Lokpal's eight members -- four judicial and the rest non-judicial -- were administered the oath of office by Justice Ghose on March 27 that year. At present, the Lokpal has vacancy of two judicial members.

Of the 110 complaints received by the Lokpal in the last fiscal, four were against MPs, 57 against group A or group B central government officials, 44 against chairpersons, members and employees of different boards/corporations/autonomous bodies wholly or partially financed by the Centre, and five were in the "others" category.

Out of the 1,427 complaints received by the anti-corruption ombudsman during 2019-20, 613 were related to state government officials and four against Union ministers and MPs, according to the data.

It said 245 complaints were against central government officials, 200 against those in public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, judicial institutions and autonomous bodies at the central level, and 135 were against private persons and organisations.

There were six complaints against state ministers and members of legislative assemblies and four against Union ministers, the data said.

As many as 613 complaints received in 2019-20 were related to state government officials, public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, judicial institutions and autonomous bodies at the state level. 

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