UPSC Mains
GS Paper II & IV
Governance
24 July 2026 — Current Affairs
Corruption in India: Is It the Biggest Threat to India’s Future?
Rule of Law Rank
79th Globally
Annual RTI Requests
~6 Million (Highest in World)
Lokpal Annual Cost
Rs 50-60 Crore
Context and Background
- The NEET paper leak protests have revived memories of the India Against Corruption movement from a decade ago.
- India files approximately six million RTI requests annually — the highest number anywhere in the world, reflecting deep citizen reliance on transparency mechanisms.
- India ranks 79th on the Rule of Law Index, carrying serious implications for its development aspirations.
⚠️
Corruption today is described as an “all-profit, negligible-risk” activity — a characterisation that makes deterrence extremely weak across the system.
Key Issues in India’s Anti-Corruption Framework
📄 RTI Under Threat
- The DPDP Act 2023 amended the RTI Act, allowing denial of all personal information including names and ages.
- The Girish Ramchandra Deshpande judgment misinterpreted the Act to exempt all personal information broadly.
- The Puttaswamy right to privacy judgment created no real balance between privacy and the right to information.
- Information Commissioners have historically been appointed without any transparency or public process.
- Since May 2014, no central Information Commissioners were appointed until courts intervened and ordered appointments.
🐢 Weak Enforcement
- A 2008 study found that from 1980-1984, only four of 280 corruption accused served more than 20 days in prison.
- Average investigation time stood at 13.4 months, but the average first trial time was 88 months — a crippling mismatch.
- Section 17A, introduced in 2018, requires government permission to investigate corruption against public servants — reversing the earlier Section 19 requirement and effectively shielding corrupt officials.
- The Lokpal spends Rs 50-60 crore annually yet has delivered virtually no meaningful accountability.
💻 Digitalisation Paradox
- Digitalisation has added a new layer of exclusion for poor and illiterate citizens unable to access online services.
- New middlemen — private cafes — now charge poor citizens simply to access basic government services.
- No meaningful grievance redressal law has been enacted despite parliamentary discussions as far back as 2014.
🏢 Institutional Compromise
- CBI, ED and Lokpal are widely perceived as not pursuing big-ticket corruption cases against those in power.
- Corruption investigations appear selectively focused on opposition politicians rather than ruling party members.
- Lokayuktas have existed for decades but have delivered very limited accountability at the state level.
Steps Taken: Anti-Corruption Framework in India
RTI Act 2005
Enabled citizens to demand information from public authorities with time-bound responses.
Lokpal & Lokayuktas Act 2013
Established independent anti-corruption ombudsmen at central and state levels.
Prevention of Corruption Act 1988
Defines corruption offences and prescribes penalties for public servants.
CBI and ED
Central agencies mandated to investigate corruption and financial crimes.
DBT & JAM Trinity
Direct Benefit Transfer through Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, aimed at reducing leakages.
GeM Portal
Government e-Marketplace aimed at reducing procurement corruption through transparency.
Way Forward: Building Genuine Accountability
Time-Bound Trials
Corruption cases must be decided in under one year, following global best practices.
RTI Restoration
DPDP Act amendments to RTI must be reversed to restore meaningful transparency rights.
Transparent Appointments
Information Commissioners must be appointed through a transparent, time-bound, public process.
Grievance Redressal Law
A mandatory law must be enacted with time-bound complaint resolution.
Institutional Independence
CBI, ED and Lokpal must be functionally independent from the ruling political executive.
Media Tracking
Media must systematically track high-profile corruption cases and report on progress publicly.
Judicial Speed
Fast-track courts for corruption cases must reduce trial pendency from years to months.
🔗
Source: The Hindu
