‘India does not suffer from shortage of laws or institutions to fight corruption but from a lack of credibility’ - The HinduUpdated - September 22, 2026 08:47 pm IST - HYDERABADFormer special director of the Intelligence Bureau Yashovardhan Jha Azad delivering the Venugopal Rao Memorial Oration at ASCI in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: Special ArrangementIndia does not lack laws or institutions to fight corruption, but the existing system suffers from a lack of credibility, independence, accountability and effectiveness, former special director of the Intelligence Bureau Yashovardhan Jha Azad said on Tuesday.Delivering the Venugopal Rao Memorial Oration at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) in Hyderabad, Mr. Azad said India had spent decades creating laws, investigative agencies and institutional mechanisms to tackle corruption, but the battle remains unfinished.Speaking on ‘How India Fights Corruption: The Institutional Criminology Test’, he proposed six tests to assess the credibility of anti-corruption institutions — independence, impartiality, competence, timelines, accountability and courage.Tracing the history of corruption, Mr. Azad said bribery is not a new phenomenon and has existed across civilisations. He referred to Roman civilisation, ancient Indian texts and Chanakya’s Arthashastra, which, he said, contains a detailed account of bribery and abuse of power. He also cited Kashmiri writer Kshemendra and Kalhana’s Rajatarangini as examples of Indian literature dealing with corruption, hypocrisy, greed and abuse of power.He cited the 1948 Jeep scandal as one of the first major corruption scandals in independent India and said subsequent scandals led to the setting up of the Santhanam Committee, following which the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) emerged in 1964-65.“Seven decades of independence fighting corruption had resulted in laws, institutions, strengthened investigative agencies and technological capabilities on an unprecedented scale and yet the battle remains unfinished,” he added.“The real cost of corruption is visible in hospitals that are not built, roads constructed below specification, bridges that collapsed, undeserving candidates obtaining jobs and deserving candidates being denied opportunities. It also affects contractors who could not compete on merit and honest officials whose integrity could become an obstacle to their professional advancement,” Mr. Azad said.He pointed out that the problem was not the absence of institutions but the credibility of these institutions. Citing Transparency International’s 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, he said India had scored 39 out of 100 and stood 91st among 182 countries. “Merely multiplying anti-corruption laws and organisations is insufficient. Reducing unnecessary discretion, strengthening the rule of law, increasing transparency and enabling citizens to hold governments accountable were equally important,” he said.He questioned whether an investigative institution can probe a powerful person without worrying about the consequences. Mr. Azad said there is extensive debate over how much power should be given to the CBI, vigilance agencies, secretaries and senior police officers, but insufficient attention is paid to the capabilities of investigators themselves.He also cited Central Vigilance Commission figures which, according to him, showed that at the end of 2025, as many as 2,447 anti-corruption cases had been pending for 10 to 20 years and 409 for more than 20 years. On the Lokpal, Mr. Azad was critical. He recalled that Parliament enacted the Lokpal law in 2013 but said the institution became operational only in 2019.Mr. Azad said he favours a much simpler institutional structure. He argued that the number of anti-corruption bodies should be reduced and that the CBI should be given clearly defined powers, functioning and parliamentary oversight. He said similar principles should apply to the Enforcement Directorate.Published - September 22, 2026 08:46 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }