The data released by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on its 57th annual day shows that its probe has led to 1,468 people being convicted last year in graft cases investigated by the agency, according to reports.
The data shows that the anti-graft agency had filed 8,999 cases and preliminary enquiries through 2018, out of which it achieved conviction in 544 cases. As many as 209 of these cases were taken up on the direction of courts.
The agency claims that it had laid 156 trap operations for detection of bribery allegations and also registered 211 cases pertaining to bank frauds.
A CBI spokesperson confirmed that convictions were achieved in several sensitive cases as well, “The CBI successfully used the technology of Percentage Matching of DNA and Lineage Match for the first time in India while investigating the case of rape and murder of a minor girl in Shimla (Himachal Pradesh),” he added.
In fact, CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla has awarded 14 investigating officers, six law officers, 46 executive & ministerial staff and two technical officers with the Director CBI’s Commendation Certificate and cash rewards for their exemplary work.
He went on to say “The CBI enjoys the trust of the people, Parliament, the judiciary and the government. Whenever there is a major offence or a credible investigation is required, there is always a demand for a CBI investigation,” he added.
In his address to CBI officers, Shukla also emphasised on the importance of grievance redressal and referred to the ‘Open Door Policy’ for all officials of the organisation in this regard.
Shukla said the CBI has evolved from an anti-corruption agency into a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary central police law enforcement body with capability, credibility and legal mandate to investigate and prosecute offences across the country.
Recently, an appointment committee, comprising of PM Modi, CJI Rajan Gogoi and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge approved the appointment of IPS Rishi Kumar Shukla as the new CBI Director for a period of two years.
The post of the CBI Chief had been lying vacant since January 10, after ousted CBI director Alok Verma resigned from the post following serious charges of corruption. M Nageswara Rao has been working as the interim CBI chief after Verma’s ouster.
This accomplishment assumes significance especially because of the recent crisis in the agency. After the appointment of Shukla, the agency, which was going through a rough time, returned to normalcy.
The appointment of Shukla, who was ousted from his post as the DIG in Madhya Pradesh by the newly elected Congress government and which had sparked a war of words between the government and the opposition, preceded the turf war between his predecessor Alok Verma and former deputy chief of the agency Rakesh Asthana.
Both the officers levelled serious allegations of corruption against each other with the reputation of the agency taking a serious hit.
