Corruption can eat the roots of economic development in any developing economy. India also needs to strengthen its economic and social fibre through enabling provisions that could nip the monster of corruption in the bud. Right to Information and other such legal rights have been instrumental in taking up crusade against corruption.According to world bank studies: Corruption adversely affects public sector productivity and distributive justice. Corruption also increases income inequality, weakens governance and reduces citizen’s trust in effectiveness of their government.Justice K G Balakrishnan, chief justice of India, while inaugurating the national seminar on fighting crimes related to corruption held in New Delhi on 12 September 09 said, “The real costs are difficult to measure since they involve the loss of opportunities for business and investment as well as the diversion of man-power, when it may be usefully employed elsewhere. In some instances, corruption poses a threat to national security and law and order. We are all aware of how smuggled arms and explosives were used for the bomb blasts in Bombay in 1993, as well as the financing of terrorist operations through the ‘hawala’ currency racket. All in all, the pervasive culture of graft provokes pessimism about the quality of governance.”“The idea that our deliberations should focus on how to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases, so that the courts of first instance are able to improve the conviction rate,” he underlined.Echoing similar views, Prithviraj Chavan, Union Minister of State Personal and Public Grievances (PP), said, “At this seminar, where the key functionaries of the criminal justice system have gathered, the question that needs to be posed is how to ensure that corrupt are punished severally and swiftly so as to create deterrence in the minds of would be criminals. What is also needed, however, over and beyond the punitive aspects of corruption, is an effective preventive strategy by bringing about systemic changes with your vast experience and personal knowledge of the Institutional Lacunae that promote corruption. Unless corruption is controlled, it will threaten national security and economic development.”The two day national seminar has been jointly organised by LNJN National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science and CBI. Contemporary legal issues would be deliberated upon during the course of the four working sessions spread over two days in the seminar. The session would touch upon (1) facilitating speedy trial, (2) investigation and trial of anti-corruption cases: Legal lacunae and other constraints; (3) How to improve presentation / prosecution of cases by CBI, and (4) appreciating and evaluating electronic evidence.Judges from supreme court, high court of Delhi and distinguished legal luminaries including over 60 special judges dealing with anti-corruption cases from the entire country are participating in the seminar. Among others director:CFSL, 60 prosecutors /dy. legal advisors as well as investigators of CBI and delegates from state vigilance/ anti-corruption bureaus are attending the seminar.
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