Anti-corruption
ACTIVISM
High-profile anti-corruption initiatives are on the rise in India, as evidenced by the arrest of four Northern Railway officials in a bribery case connected to the Gati Shakti scheme and the detention of a former forest official in Odisha who was discovered in possession of 115 illegal land plots.
A wave of high-profile investigations, state-level enforcement reforms, and mounting concern over India's declining global corruption ranking have all contributed to the country's fight against corruption regaining prominence in the middle of 2025.
In one notable instance, a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) in Odisha was arrested after it was discovered that he owned 115 homestead plots that had been accumulated over many years. This case set a new record for disproportionate assets and raised serious concerns about power abuse. At about the same time, the CBI seized ₹3.3 lakh in illegal payments and arrested four Northern Railway officials connected to a bribery scheme connected to the flagship Gati Shakti infrastructure project.
Leaders at the state level are sending out a zero tolerance message. To increase transparency and law enforcement, Rajasthan's chief minister, Bhajan Lal Sharma, announced sweeping reforms, including the creation of an Anti-Gangster Task Force, the hiring of 10,000 additional police officers, and the creation of new female battalions. Similarly, as part of a larger institutional crackdown, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami suspended top officials involved in the Haridwar land scam, including IAS officers, and pledged to hold even the most powerful accountable, calling graft suspects "big crocodiles."
In just the first half of 2025, the Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) in Bihar filed an unprecedented 51 corruption cases involving awards, public offices, and disproportionate assets. This represents a 50% increase over prior years and indicates increased vigilance.