Legal Framework For Investigation Of Corruption In India: An Overview Of Key Statutes
- IJLLR Journal
- 25 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Vanshika Nakra, JIMS, Greater Noida affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University
ABSTRACT
Corruption is one of the most deep-rooted threats to India's governance and development, damaging public trust and institutional integrity and hindering economic growth and social justice. This research paper offers a thorough examination of India's legal framework governing corruption investigations, analyzing the constitutional underpinnings, statutory details, institutional arrangements, and judicial precedents that together form the anti-corruption edifice of the nation. The research follows the historical development from old administrative orders to British colonial administration and on to recent post-independence reforms, examining major legislation such as the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, provisions of the Indian Penal Code, and the path-breaking Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013.
By close scrutiny of investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate, and state vigilance departments, pathbreaking judicial precedents like the Vineet Narain case and current Supreme Court interventions, and analysis of ongoing challenges to the anti- corruption regime, this paper reveals both the strong positives and endemic weaknesses of India's corruption investigation machinery. The study identifies a strong but inherently sophisticated legal infrastructure that has developed significantly over seven decades of constitutional rule, with several layers of checks and balances, specialized processes, and institutional protections, yet still grapples with core impediments to implementation, inter-agency cooperation, and securing effective deterrence against corrupt behavior.
