Percentage of corrupt judges and others

As per your query it is understood that you want information about the corrupt judicial system and the judges and police officers in India.

To begin with, there is no such specified percentage of the corrupt judges in the Lower Courts and the High Court and in the whole judicial system or the police officers. It is the matter of choice who wants to be honest and loyal with the law of our country and who do not want to.

Corruption in Indian judiciary is considered pervasive: over 45% of Indians believe the judiciary is corrupt, a view shared by external assessments. Not only is corruption rampant in the lower courts, some have alleged that this corruption reaches the highest levels. In 2010, a former Law Minister declared that eight of sixteen former Chief Justices of India (CJI) were corrupt, and in 2014 a former Supreme Court judge alleged that three former CJIs made “improper compromises” to let a corrupt High Court judge continue in office.

Indian judges may be nowhere near as corrupt as its politicians; but Indian judiciary, like its counterparts elsewhere, relies on its reputation for fairness, impartiality, and incorruptibility. The courts can scarcely afford any loss of public faith. Hence, it is a wake-up call for the judiciary.

Corruption in lower courts: India’s judicial corruption is a cancer that begins at the lower levels and inches its way up. Spanning 600 district courts and hundreds of subordinate courts, the heterogeneous lower judiciary acts as the primary interface between Indian judiciary and its common citizens. In 2013, 36% citizens reported paying a bribe to the judiciary, a sad reality validated by many senior judges themselves. A 2007 survey that disaggregated bribe recipients showed that 59% of respondents paid bribes to lawyers, 5% to judges, and 30% to court officials for speedy and favorable judgments.

Corruption in higher courts: The pervasiveness of corruption throughout the lower courts is closely connected to another problem. In a judicial system like India’s, where higher court judges are selected from the ranks of lower court judges and lawyers, there is always a possibility of corrupt judges making it to higher courts. This is especially likely when, as in India, seniority becomes the primary ‘de facto’ criterion for promotion. Once judges have been appointed to higher courts, they can use their expansive “contempt of court” powers to suppress allegations of corruption.

Just because of some corrupt judges and officers we cannot blame the whole judicial system. There are some honest judges and police officials out there who are fighting corruption in the judicial system. We cannot loose hope and faith from our judicial system.

Hope it helps!

Regards,

Anusha Singh