The Asian Age: Monday September, 12, 2011.
Atleast Rs. 4.25 crore of 'trap money' used in operations to catch corrupt government officials is in custody of CBI and judicial authorities as 'evidence' for the past four years.
The country's premier investigating agency had registered a total of 430 trap cases between 2007 and 2010.
According to an official data, out of the total cases, a highest of 129 cases were registered in 2008, followed by 107 each in 2007 and 2009, and 87 between January and December last year.
Subsequently, the CBI did not return over Rs. three crore taken from complainants as trap money in 2007, Rs. 31 lakh in 2008, over Rs. 28 lakh in 2009 and more than Rs. 63 lakh in 2010, it said.
The process of catching corrupt public servants red handed while they demand and take bribes is popularly called the 'trap' by the law and enforcement agencies and the money used in such procedures is known as 'trap money'.
Interestingly, the minimum bribe amount was Rs. 300 and maximum was Rs. 25 lakh.
The amount was collected mainly by its about 50 Anti-Corruption Bureaus and other branches spread across the country and either lying in its 'Malkhanas' or with the courts where the trial of the particular case was going on.
The CBI said that the trap money is an important piece of evidence against the accused which is used in the court during trials. It is seized by CBI and put up in the court along with the charge sheet.
After completion of trials, court orders return of the money to the concerned complainant. The money is, therefore, eventually returned to the complainant after completion of the trial, a CBI official said.
According to an RTI response, the trial in most of the cases registered between the period of four years was still going on.
According to the information running into several pages received exercising the Right to information Act in January this year, a total of Rs. 4,25,93,100 was collected by CBI to use as trap to expose corrupt public servants.
A highest of 86 cases were registered by ACB Delhi in which Rs. 3,15,66,800 were used as trap money. Whereas, 56 each cases were registered by its Kolkata and Chennai units where Rs. 36,20,850 and Rs. 13,79,200 respectively were used to catch the dishonest public servants.
Besides Rs. 1,53,500 trap money was used in 42 cases by the investigating agency's Bhubaneshwar branch, Rs. 2,53,800 in 35 cases by CBI Jabalpur and Rs. 4,42,700 and Rs. 5,44,500 were collected respectively in 32 cases each registered by Nagpur and Hyderabad branches, it said in reply to the RTI query filed by PTI.
As per the latest amendments in the transparency Act in June this year, the CBI has been exempted to provide any information under the RTI.
According to the information running into several pages received exercising the Right to information Act in January this year, a total of Rs. 4,25,93,100 was collected by CBI to use as trap to expose corrupt public servants.
A highest of 86 cases were registered by ACB Delhi in which Rs. 3,15,66,800 were used as trap money.
Whereas, 56 each cases were registered by its Kolkata and Chennai units where Rs. 36,20,850 and Rs. 13,79,200 respectively were used to catch the dishonest public servants.
Besides Rs. 1,53,500 trap money was used in 42 cases by the investigating agency's Bhubaneshwar branch, Rs. 2,53,800 in 35 cases by CBI Jabalpur and Rs. 4,42,700 and Rs. 5,44,500 were collected respectively in 32 cases each registered by Nagpur and Hyderabad branches, it said in reply to the RTI query filed by PTI.
As per the latest amendments in the transparency Act in June this year, the CBI has been exempted to provide any information under the RTI.
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