The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) (Mumbai range) has started open and discreet enquiries in only 6.67% of the total complaints it has received from January 2013 to March 2016. This information was provided under the Right to Information Act.
The ACB mainly probes officers against whom complaints of corruption have been filed. As per the details provided, the ACB received 7,675 complaints in the period of January 2013 to March 2016. Of the total complaints received, it ordered open and discreet enquiries in only 512 cases.
Though none of those cases that were started were closed without any action, FIRs were registered in only seven of the cases. The total number of open and discreet enquiries in the same period that are still pending — those in which any kind of enquiry is yet to start — stood at 236. The RTI application was filed by Charni Road-based Jeetendra Ghadge.
In his application, Ghadge had sought to know the enquiry details, the assets details filed by the officers, the names of officers who were suspended and details of officers who were transferred out of the ACB before their tenures were over.
While details of those who were suspended and those who did not file their assets details was not provided, the public information officer said that 12 officers — mainly police inspectors — were transferred before their tenure was over. Almost all were transferred within a year of being appointed, with one officer transferred in as little as seven days.
"A total of 7,675 complaints clearly means that there is a serious problem of corruption in Mumbai and people are filing complaints. Unfortunately, the ACB is indulging in burking (avoiding registering cases) and only media-hyped cases get registered. This is the main reason why there is no fear of the ACB among junior-level officals," said Ghadge.
When dna contacted Satish Mathur, director general of the ACB, he said: "Off the cuff, I cannot say. You ask the people who are here." Keshav Patil, additional commissioner of police (Mumbai range), did not answer dna's calls.
