SEIZE PROPERTIES OF CORRUPT OFFICIALS, SAYS CHIEF JUSTICE OF INDIA

Sat, Sep 12 01:40 PM
New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan today favoured statutory provision for seizure of illegal properties and assets of government officials convicted in corruption cases. He also wanted specialised teams of lawyers to ensure that they will progressively develop expertise in prosecuting corruption-related cases.
"If a public official amasses wealth at the cost of public, then the state is justified in seizing such assets," Balakrishnan said at a national seminar on ''Fighting Crimes related to Corruption''. "One prominent suggestion is the inclusion of a statutory remedy that will enable confiscation of properties belonging to persons who are convicted of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA)", the Chief Justice said.
The CJI said procedural delays like granting sanction and difficulty in marshalling large number of witnesses were the major hurdles in achieving meaningful convictions when the anti-corruption agencies was already finding it difficult to grapple with 9,000 pending cases due to shortage of designated courts. "It is necessary (that) there should be a speedy manner of granting sanction.
The prosecution becomes ineffective if the sanction is granted after 6-7 years," he said. Balakrishnan expressed concern that CBI relies on large number of witnesses in the corruption cases instead of coming out with solid witnesses which unnecessary prolongs the trial of the case for 3 to 4 years.
"Instead of having 8 to 10 witnesses, emphasis should be on having one solid witness to prove the case," he said. .


It is really a wonderful and needy solution. Until and unless there is fear of losing everything, the corrupt officials will not mend their ways.

Towards this, the Government should seek all the data from their servants regarding their movable/immovable properties. Even if one purchases any goods worth more than Rs. 25,000/-, they should seek prior permission. {If one wants the Govt job, then they must obey the rules. Otherwise, there are plenty of over-qualified and honest persons available to do the job}. Slight violation of the rule should also not be tolerated. Besides administrative action, there must be heavy levy of penalty. For example, if one is got for holding a property worth Rs. 5,00,000/-, the penalty must be Rs. 25,00,000/- (5 times). Similarly, the Anonymous complaints cell must be formed under 'Right to Information' to gather information on the corrupt officials. Till the investigation is completed, the official under scanner can be named as "X" or "Y", and once the investigation is over, it must be published for information to all.