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Recovery of marked currency and a positive chemical test may support a corruption prosecution, but they do not automatically prove that a public servant took a bribe. In Jaswinder Singh (Dead through LRs.) v. State of Punjab, 2026 INSC 1031, decided on 22 Sept…
In Bharat Raj Meena v. Central Bureau of Investigation, 2026 INSC 999, decided on 16 September 2026, the Supreme Court acquitted a former Railway Prot…
The Delhi High Court has clarified when prior sanction is required to prosecute former public servants under section 19 of the Prevention of Corruptio…
Many PC Act offences appear in the PMLA Schedule. A corruption allegation can therefore generate a parallel money-laundering investigation, but the tw…
Modern corruption investigations rely on call recordings, messaging applications, CCTV, spreadsheets, location data and digital payment trails. Their …
The 2018 amendment inserted a clear expedition framework. A Special Judge should, as far as practicable, hold the trial daily and endeavour to conclud…
PC Act offences are tried by Special Judges appointed under Section 3. Section 4 also permits trial of connected conspiracies, attempts, abetments and…
Section 21 permits a person charged with a PC Act offence to testify for the defence. The accused becomes a competent witness only on a written reques…
The amended Section 20 permits a statutory presumption in a trial under Section 7 or Section 11 when it is proved that the public servant accepted, ob…
Not every error in sanction automatically nullifies a corruption trial. Section 19 requires courts reviewing an error, omission or irregularity to ask…
The 2018 amendment expressly addresses a request for sanction made by a person other than a police officer or investigating agency. It creates screeni…
The 2018 amendment expanded Section 19 so previous sanction is required for specified offences alleged against a person who is employed or, at the tim…
The 2018 amendment inserted Chapter IVA and Section 18A, applying the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 1944, as far as may be, to attachment, adminis…
Section 18 gives a competent investigating officer access to bankers’ books where there is reason to suspect a PC Act offence and inspection is necess…
The first proviso to Section 17A states that previous approval is unnecessary for cases involving arrest of a person on the spot on the charge of acce…
Section 17A requires previous approval before enquiry, inquiry or investigation where the alleged PC Act offence is relatable to a recommendation made…
Section 17 restricts investigation of PC Act offences to police officers of specified rank unless a competent Magistrate orders otherwise. The safegua…
Section 15 punishes an attempt to commit the offence referred to in Section 13(1)(a), the misappropriation branch of criminal misconduct. The 2018 ame…