The anti-corruption vigilance wing of the state police has logged an impressive 50% conviction rate in corruption cases in 2024, while the rate of conviction in Disproportionate Asset (DA) cases stood at 80%, officials said on Tuesday.

“As far as prosecution is concerned, we had 105 convictions in 2024 at 50% conviction rate. Convictions in DA cases stood at 80%. Of the 105 convictions, 18 were Class-I officers, 18 Class-II officers, 74 Class-III employees, 6 Class-IV employees, 16 other public servants, and 15 private persons. In total, 147 accused persons were convicted during the period,” a Vigilance official said.

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Odisha Vigilance has taken a number of steps to strengthen prosecution. Trials in 22 Vigilance Courts are being closely monitored on a daily basis by the Vigilance Directorate. Witness testimony is being conducted through video conferencing to expedite trial as well as to save time.

Odisha Vigilance has appointed expert legal advisers for each Vigilance division, as per the government’s sanction, to enhance the quality of evidence gathered during investigation, and presented during trial, he said.

In 2024, Odisha Vigilance achieved an impressive disposal rate of 154%. In total, 307 cases were disposed of after investigation.

Besides, Odisha Vigilance registered 200 cases against 308 individuals, including 50 Class-I officers, 36 Class-II officers, 131 Class-III employees, 1 Class-IV employee, 18 other public servants, and 72 private persons. The 200 cases included 60 Disproportionate Assets (DA) cases, 96 trap cases, and the rest corruption cases in 2024.

During this period, 181 persons were arrested, which included 37 Class-I officers, 27 Class-II officers, 85 Class-III employees, 1 Class-IV employee, 10 other public servants, and 21 private persons.

Those arrested included 19 engineers, of which 6 were Chief Engineers in different departments, 22 Revenue officers/officials, 20 Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water officers, 9 police officers, 5 doctors, 3 forest officers, and 3 Integrated Child Development Scheme functionaries.

Out of 200 cases registered in 2024, 60 cases were instituted for the acquisition of disproportionate assets against 66 public servants and 36 private persons. The total disproportionate assets in all the 60 cases crossed over Rs 131 crore. Twenty-nine DA cases were registered against Class-I officers and 15 DA cases were registered against Class-II officers. Thirty-eight spouses of corrupt government functionaries were also brought under investigation as co-accused in DA cases.