New Delhi: A Public Interest Litigation(PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking establishment of Special Anti-Corruption courts in every district to decide cases relating to farud, black money, frogery, benami etc, within one year. PIL also prays for directions to all the High Courts to take approptiate steps to decide such cases within an year.
The PIL has been filed by BJP member and advocate Ashwini Upadhyay who contends that "due to long pendency and ineffective anti-corruption laws, even after 73 years of independence and 70 years of becoming socialist secular drmocratic republic, none of our districts is free from cases related to black money, benami property, disproportionate assets, bribery, money laundering, tax evasion, profiteering, hoarding, adultartion, human and drug trafficking, black marketing, cheating, fraud, frogery, dishonest misappropriation of property, fascination of account, corporate fraud, forensic farud, illegal foreign excahnge and similar other economic offences".
Stating corruption to be the key element in economic underperfomarce and obstacle in poverty alleviation, Upadhyay has contended that Right to life can not be secured without curbing corruption. He says that EWS-BPL families suffer the most because of corruption leading to hand to mouth existence, poor health standards and sub-par education levels.
Contending that transaction in high value currency is used for terrorism, extortion, bribing etc, the advocate has suggested that currency above Rs 100 shall be recalled, cash transactions above Rs 5000 shall be restricted and assests above Rs 50,000 should be linked with Adhaar, confiscating complete black money, benami property and awarding life sentence.
"Total budget of centre, states, local bodies is around 70 lacs crore but due to massive corruption in every department, around 10% of the budget (7 lacs crore) becomes black money. Centre can save this huge public money be recalling currency above Rs 100, restricting cash transaction above Rs 5000, linking assets Rs 50,000 to Adhaar, confisacting 100% black money, benami property, disproprtionate assets and awarding life imprisonment to looters," read the plea.
Detailing the advantages of recalling currency, Upadhyay has said that it will give 20% more revenue to the government, 20% drop in commodity prices, 20% more subsidy to EWS BPL families and 50% reduction in terrorism seapratism and fundamentalism.
He says that 50% problems is corruption which can not be controlled till there is a tax, police, judicial, administrative reform. Many prominet commissions like Law commission Venkatchaliah commission, have given 500 suggestions to weed out corruption but nothing has been done by the centre to implement them, contended Upadhyay.
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