Anti-corruption body flags 7,229 CBI corruption cases pending trial

More than 7,200 corruption cases investigated by the CBI were pending trial in courts as of December 31, 2025, according to the Central Vigilance Commission's annual report for 2025. The report said 409 of these cases had been pending for over 20 years.

The report also said 14,083 appeals and revisions, including writ petitions, were pending in high courts and the Supreme Court, while 473 corruption cases were still under investigation by the CBI. It added that delays in some investigations had been noticed, even though such probes are expected to be completed within a year.

According to the CVC report, of the 7,229 cases pending trial in courts, 1,612 had been pending for less than three years, 860 for over three years and up to five years, and 1,901 for more than five years and up to 10 years. It said 2,447 cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act had been pending for more than 10 years and up to 20 years, while 409 had been pending for over 20 years.

In appeals and revisions, including writ petitions, 739 cases had been pending for more than 20 years, 1,347 for over 15 years but less than 20 years, and 3,161 for more than 10 years but less than 15 years. A total of 3,854 such matters had been pending for more than five years but less than 10 years, 1,987 for over two years but less than five years, and 2,995 for less than two years, the report said.

The report said 473 corruption cases were pending investigation with the CBI. Of these, 39 had been pending for more than five years, 37 for over three years but less than five years, and 33 for more than two years but less than three years. Another 72 cases had been pending for more than one year but less than two years, while 292 had been pending for less than one year.

"It is expected of CBI to complete investigation within one year of registration of a case. Completion of investigation would imply filing of chargesheet in a court of law wherever warranted, after receipt of sanction from the competent authority, if required," the report said.

However, it said some delay had been observed in completing investigations in certain cases. The reasons cited included "delay in obtaining responses to Letters Rogatory (LRs)" and "time consumed in verification of documents/title deeds, etc., in disproportionate asset cases."

It also referred to "delay in providing relevant records/documents by the authorities concerned", "time-consuming efforts required for scrutiny of voluminous records, especially in economic offences and bank fraud cases", and "time and efforts required to locate and examine witnesses available at remote locations".

In 2025, the CBI registered 1,005 regular cases, preliminary inquiries and Lokpal references. It laid 265 traps for detecting bribery cases during the year and registered 81 regular cases related to possession of disproportionate assets.

Of the 1,005 cases, 161 were taken up on the orders of the constitutional courts and 27 on references received from state governments and Union territories. The report said 615 corruption-related cases were registered by the CBI in 2025, involving 855 public servants, including 237 gazetted officers. A total of 654 cases were disposed of during the year.

The report also said 34 departmental cases were pending against CBI officers at various stages, including 21 against Group A officers and 13 against Group B and C officers. Of these, eight had been pending for more than four years.

Overall, the CVC report for 2025 showed a large backlog in corruption cases under trial, appeals pending in higher courts, and investigations still underway, while also setting out the reasons it said had led to delays in some CBI probes.