Plea in SC to establish special anti-corruption courts in every district

New Delhi [India], December 21 : A petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Monday seeking directions to the Centre, States and Union Territories to establish special anti-corruption courts in every district to decide cases relating to black money, benami property, disproportionate assets etc, within a year.
The plea sought directions for all High Courts to take appropriate steps to decide the cases relating to offences like money laundering, tax evasion, corruption, black money within a year.
The plea, filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, said that he has filed the petition in view of the corruption watchdog 'Transparency International' placing India at 80th position in the Corruption Perception Index earlier this year.
It said that due to long pendency and weak anti-corruption laws, India ranked 80 in Corruption Perception Index and it confirms poor performance on many fronts like the absence of corruption, fundamental rights, open government, public order and security, regulatory enforcement and civil and criminal justice system.
"Direct Centre, States and Union Territories to establish special anti-corruption courts in every district to decide the cases relating to black money, benami property, disproportionate assets, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, profiteering, hoarding, adulteration, black marketing, human and drug trafficking, cheating, fraud, forgery, dishonest misappropriation of property, corporate fraud, forensic fraud, foreign exchange and other economic offences within one year," the plea sought.
It said due to long pendency and ineffective anti-corruption laws, no district is free from land mafias, drug-liquor mafias, mining mafias, medicine-hospital mafias, transfer-posting mafias, betting mafias, tender mafias, hawala mafias, school and coaching mafias, illegal immigration mafias, conversion mafias, superstition-black magic mafias and white-collar political mafias, who divide society and country on the basis of religion, race,caste, sex and place of birth.
"Corruption has devastating effects on right to life liberty dignity, badly affects social economic justice, fraternity, dignity of individual, unity and national integration, thus offends fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21," the plea said.