Patna: Vigilance Investigation Bureau (VIB) has successfully secured convictions of 11 corrupt officials in 11 cases this year till 22 July, with the latest being Bhola Paswan, who was the circle officer of Roh block in Nawada district. Paswan, who was arrested red-handed in 2014 while accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000, was sentenced to a maximum of four years’ rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 on July 22.A court convicted him under two separate sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and awarded three and four years of rigorous imprisonment, respectively. Both sentences will run concurrently, meaning he will serve a maximum of four years in jail.Like Paswan, Several of those convicted had been evading trial for years after being caught red-handed. Officials expect the number to rise further in the remaining five months of 2026.In Jan, Sitaram Chaudhary, then ranger of Vaishali, was sentenced to one year in jail and fined Rs 10,000 after being caught taking a Rs 1,500 bribe in 1997. In Feb, Jairam Singh, then junior engineer at rural development dept, Nawada, got one year’s rigorous imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine. He was arrested with Rs 3,000 bribe in 2008.In Feb, three people were convicted, while one conviction each was secured in March, April, May, June and July.Vigilance DG Jitendra Singh Gangwar credited the rise to continuous monitoring, ensuring witnesses appear in court without unnecessary adjournments, presenting evidence strongly and properly, and deploying a team of expert lawyers to study cases and argue them logically in court. “Because of these steps, the number of convictions is consistently increasing. We expect further growth in the coming months,” Gangwar said.The bureau’s conviction numbers have seen a sharp jump. Last year, 30 corrupt officials were convicted — the highest in the last 25 years. For comparison, only two convictions were recorded in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 and 2005, there were zero convictions. In 2024, 18 people were convicted. The 2025 figure of 30 was more than 1.5 times that, and already a 25-year high.
