PIL filed in SC for setting up special anti-corruption courts

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court for a direction to set up special anti-corruption courts in every district to decide cases related to various economic offences like money laundering, benami properties, disproportionate assets and tax evasion within one year.

BJP leader and advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay filed the plea, seeking directions to high courts to take appropriate steps to decide cases related to economic offences.

The petition has made the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Law and Justice, and various states and Union territories parties in the case.

The PIL, filed through advocate Ashwani Kumar Dubey, contended that due to long pendency and ineffective anti-corruption laws, India has never been ranked among the top 50 in the Corruption Perception Index.

"Corruption is key element in economic underperformance and main obstacle in poverty alleviation. Right to life and liberty guaranteed under Article 21 cannot be secured and the golden goals of Preamble cannot be achieved without curbing corruption," his plea claimed.

The Centre and state governments have also not taken appropriate steps in this regard, the petition said.

None of the welfare schemes and government departments are corruption-free, it said.

"Due to long pendency and ineffective anti-corruption laws, even after 73 years of independence and 70 years after becoming a socialist secular democratic republic, none of our districts are free from cases related to black money, benami property, disproportionate assets, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion and similar other economic offences," the petition said.

India's anti-corruption laws are very weak and ineffective and fail to control corruption, and even the Benami Transactions Act, passed in 1988, is gathering dust without action, it said.

"Every family has debit card and Aadhaar card, therefore, restricting cash transaction above Rs 5,000 and linking property with Aadhaar is feasible," it suggested.