Manipur second among NE states in corruption
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, April 22 2011: Manipur is second from the top among the states in the Northeastern in having registered the highest number of corruption cases, according to the latest report of the National Crime Record Bureau.

With 48 cases, Assam is the state with the highest number of corruption cases in the NE with 54% conviction rate and zero recovery of properties said a report covering a nine-year period, 2000-2009.In comparison to Assam, the neighbouring NE states have lesser number of registered corruption cases.

Manipur follows Assam with 25 registered cases during the nine year period, with zero conviction and zero recovery of properties.

With eight cases registered during 2002, the year recorded the highest numbers cases of the kind.

Four cases were registered in 2008 even though no cases were taken up in 2009.Three cases each were registered in 2000, 2005 and 2007 while one each in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006 .

Out of these 25 cases 23 cases were forwarded for trial but no trial hasbeen conducted so far, the record maintained by the National Crime Record Bureau revealed.

As for Assam of the 48 cases, charge sheet of only one case was filed while another case turned out to be false.

The highest number of corruption cases, 26, were registered in 2003, it was nil in 2008 .

In 2005, 2006 and 2007, the State achieved 100 % conviction, while in 2009 only 33 % could be convicted.

The average conviction rate for the state was 54 % and zero recovery.

By 2009, the number of pending cases had gone up to 74 and three more were added, taking the total number to 77.Only three cases could be charge sheeted and 71 cases were kept pending.

There were no conviction and recovery.

Nagaland registered 23 corruption cases with an impressive recovery of ' 5.95 crore worth seizure of properties, the highest in any North Eastern states.

Meghalaya registered only seven corruption cases with zero conviction.

Tripura registered 18 corruption cases with two convictions and ' 13,000 recovery.

The latest data on corruption is part of the report of the National Crimes Record Bureau which was published in the wake of the anti-corruption campaign in the recent past highlighted by Anna Hazare's fast.

Tamil Nadu was in the top among the states of the country having recorded the highest number of corruption cases.

NCRB records say more than 5,000 government officials were booked for corruption across the country in 2009.Wealth worth nearly ' 61 crore was recovered from these officials.

Madhya Pradesh saw the maximum seizure of ill- gotten wealth worth nearly ' 23 crore.

The report said the total seizure of such wealth by state vigilance bureaus rose alarmingly from ' 25.4 crore in 2008 to ' 60.91 crore in 2009 .

The conviction rate, however, remained low at just 34 %, with more than 1,400 cases put on trial in the country during 2009.Along with Tamil Nadu, the bureaus booked 561 officials in Orissa, 542 in Maharashtra, 477 in Kerala and 430 in Karnataka in 2009 .

Of the 4,203 officials booked for corruption across the country, 375 belonged to Group A - the top layer of the country's bureaucracy - while 789 were from Group B and 3,039 were non-gazetted officers who generally have direct contact with people for delivery of public services.

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