States » NorthPosted at: Oct 23 2026 10:13PM


Haryana Vigilance Bureau sets record with 171 bribery trap cases in 2026, surpasses 2022 high

Panchkula, Oct 23 (UNI) Haryana's State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered 171 bribery trap cases up to October 21 this year, breaching its previous annual record of 170 set in 2022 and marking the highest tally since 2016, with over two months still remaining in the calendar year.
The figure represents a 21.3 per cent spike over the corresponding period in 2025, underscoring an intensified, technology-backed offensive against graft across the state administration, the bureau said in a statement released on Friday.
Bureau chief Dr. A.S. Chawla issued a stern warning to public servants, declaring that officials who demand bribes for legitimate work or deliberately force citizens into repeated rounds of government offices are squarely on the bureau's radar and will not escape the law.
"Public office is meant to serve people, not to harass them and extract illegal payments. Those who refuse to do legitimate public work without a bribe should not assume they are beyond the reach of the law," he said, reaffirming the state government's zero-tolerance policy against corruption under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
Between January 1 and September 30, the bureau registered 191 criminal cases against public servants and private individuals, including 155 trap cases in which 172 people were caught in alleged bribery transactions. The net included 16 gazetted officers, 131 non-gazetted employees and 25 private individuals, all booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The surge in trap cases is attributed to faster complaint processing, closer monitoring and streamlining of the enforcement pipeline from registration to field action, signalling a shift from passive receipt of complaints to proactive, data-driven targeting of corruption hotspots.
The bureau has also expanded its investigative footprint, launching 88 new inquiries up to September 30. Of the 61 inquiries completed by mid-September, findings in 16 cases led to recommendations for departmental action against 94 public servants, including 74 gazetted officers and 20 non-gazetted employees.
In another 10 inquiries, the bureau recommended criminal proceedings against 63 individuals, comprising seven gazetted officers, 16 non-gazetted employees and 40 private persons.
Courts have already begun delivering consequences, sentencing 26 accused to rigorous imprisonment across 21 bureau-registered cases in the first nine months of the year. The convicted include 23 government officers or employees and three private individuals, demonstrating that the bureau's traps are translating into sustained prosecutions rather than mere catch-and-release operations.
Department-wise, the conviction data exposes graft vulnerabilities across the administrative spectrum. The police department accounted for six convictions, the electricity department for five, while irrigation, education, excise and taxation, and revenue and disaster management saw two convictions each.
One convicted officer or employee each belonged to urban local bodies, skill development, Haryana warehousing and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Chawla said the bureau will continue to act against the misuse of public office and further strengthen transparency and accountability in government functioning.
He urged citizens to report demands for bribes through the "Satark Haryana" mobile application, assuring that every complaint would be examined and pursued in accordance with the law.
The record trap tally, coming with over two months still left in the year, sends an unambiguous signal to the state bureaucracy that the window for graft is closing fast and the cost of corruption is rising.
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