Case trials take 10 yrs to start: Lokayukta

“By this time, witnesses turn hostile either due to inducement or threats. We have cases where the complainant forgets the finer details of the complaint, by the time the trial proceedings start,” he said.

Hegde was speaking at a convention organised by the State Bank of India.

Hegde said there was a need for a rethink of legal theories that had become outdated. "If trials under this Act conclude within six months, cases of corruption can come down by 50 per cent. Quick conviction can act as a deterrent to corruption,” he said.

Hegde said that with the activities of the entire banking sector being in public domain, any misconduct by the employees, whether in the management cadre or below, could have an adverse impact on society. “Bank employees are duty-bound to help fight corruption and aid ombudsmen like the Lokayukta, by coming up with an in-house mechanism. They must also take a vow never to accept bribe,” Hegde said.

Citing Lord Nolan’s report on ‘Standards in Public Life,’ Hegde called upon people holding public offices to follow the seven principles of ‘selflessness, integrity, objectiveness, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership’.

He lamented the lack of value-based education in schools, which led to the young imbibing "all wrong things.”