The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) continued its strong drive against corruption in 2025, focusing on transparency, accountability and clean governance.
According to an official statement, the ACB registered and investigated 78 corruption-related cases during the year. These included 36 trap cases against public servants caught demanding or accepting bribes, 18 cases of disproportionate assets, 15 cases of misuse of official position, eight cases linked to a major land scam involving illegal transfer of custodian land, and one case related to illegal appointments.
The Bureau filed charge-sheets in 43 cases before competent courts, showing its commitment to timely and professional investigations. During 2025, courts decided several cases, resulting in seven convictions and punishment of 13 accused persons.
Along with investigations, the ACB focused strongly on preventive vigilance and system सुधार. It verified complaints, checked suspicious transactions, and issued advisories to close loopholes that allow corruption. During the year, 703 verifications were carried out, and 764 matters were disposed of, including cases pending from the previous year.
In 2025, the ACB issued 41 alert notes and 91 advisories to the government. These highlighted serious procedural gaps and corruption-prone areas found during verifications, surprise checks and complaint reviews. The aim was to improve internal controls, transparency and accountability.
District Vigilance Officers (DVOs) played an important role at the departmental level. Over the last five years, they referred 15,197 matters to the ACB, out of which 12,406 were disposed of, showing a disposal rate of around 90 percent. In 2025 alone, 3,960 matters were disposed of.
The Bureau also carried out 18 new Joint Surprise Checks during the year and completed 19 checks, including pending ones. It registered 25 Preliminary Enquiries, of which 20 were finalised within the same year.
Public awareness remained a key focus. The ACB organised Vigilance Awareness Programmes twice in 2025, including workshops and interactive sessions with citizens, students and government employees. These programmes explained the harmful effects of corruption and encouraged people to report corruption through safe and confidential channels.
Training and capacity building of staff was another priority. Regular training programmes were held for investigating officers, with expert sessions from universities, banks and specialised institutions. The Bureau has also planned future training, including specialised courses for new officers in coordination with the CBI and other agencies.
The J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and assured the public that all complaints are handled fairly, confidentially and professionally. The Bureau called for continued public cooperation to build a corruption-free and transparent Jammu and Kashmir.
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