Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, Shri K. G. Balakrishnan, Hon'ble Judges of the Supreme Court of India, and Delhi High Court Director, CBI Sh. Ashwani Kumar, Director, National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences, Shri Kamlendra Prasad, Secretary (Personnel), Shri Shantanu Consul, Senior Law officers of Government of India, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.

          2. It gives me great pleasure to be present amongst you on the occasion of this National seminar on "Fighting Crime Related to Corruption". At the outset, I would like to congratulate Director, CBI and Director, National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences for having provided a forum for deliberation on issues relating to fighting corruption. I am privileged to be amongst people who are backbone of the system which fights corruption.

          3. We are fortunate that Hon'ble Chief Justice of India Shri K. G. Balakrishnan has consented to inaugurate this Seminar. Sh. Balakrishnan has set very high standards in his long and distinguished career. Cmputerization of the courts under his guidance has made the delivery of the justice more users friendly. Mr. Chief Justice Sir, we are honoured by your gracious presence. On behalf of everyone present here, I thank you for sparing your valuable time. I am sure your words of wisdom would guide the deliberations of this Seminar to some useful results.

          4. Corruption is a serious threat to preservation of democratic institutions. Not only does it undermine economic development, it also distorts development process by seriously misdirecting resources. It perpetuates economic, social and regional imbalance. It is commonly recognized that corruption, unless kept in check, can undermine the finest of systems of governance. It eats into the very vitals of the civic society and vitiates the relationship between the citizen and the state. Certain NGOs, have estimated that the monetary value of petty corruption in 11 basic services delivered by the Government like education, health care, police works out to around Rs.21,000 crores. Pre-1991, this could be attributed to the license and permit raj. Economic reforms of 1991 sought to do away these distortions. They are being corrected gradually. However, a lot still needs to be done. In addition to economic reforms, a governance reforms, more importantly, a fair and effective criminal justice system is also essential.

          5. Corruption, control, therefore, is not just a matter of virtue, it is a necessity. This conference gives an opportunity for all of you who assembled on this platform and who are leading the battle against corruption, to share your knowledge, experience and expertise on the issues of tackling corruption.

          6. Fighting corruption is all the more important as there is an intrinsic link between corruption and organized crime. You cannot fight crime unless you fight corruption. Cooperation among various arms of the Criminal Justice System is absolutely necessary for any serious fight against corruption. The long delays in criminal justice delivery system enable offenders to erect walls of defence. Thus, there has to be a multi-pronged approach, strict enforcement of stringent laws, speedy investigation successful prosecution and speedy disposal of trial. I hope that in your deliberations over the next two days you will find ways to achieve this synergy. The job is not easy.

          7. It is the endeavor of the Government that corruption becomes a high-risk unprofitable activity. For this we have to continuously improve operational procedures, set high standards for ourselves and continuously improve to achieve them I assure you that men and material required by the system will be provided by the government, everything from infrastructure to manpower to all the agencies who are fighting. I would like to draw the attention of this august gathering towards government's recent decision of according in principle approval to set up 71 exclusive Special Courts for trial of CBI cases. The cost of setting up and functioning of these courts will be reimbursed by the Central government to the respective States. I gratefully acknowledge the initiative taken by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India. Towards this, Prime Minister has already given in principle approval. However, I would request to all concerned to ensure that these new courts are equipped with best available technologies and infrastructure so that we achieve our objective.

          8. I would like to take the opportunity to laud the efforts of Director, CBI to reduce the time for completion of investigation. It can never be over-stressed that speed is essential but at the same time we must ensure that it does not compromise the quality of investigation. It is creditable that the CBI has been able to consistently achieve a high rate of conviction. This has been possible because all investigating officers, law officers, forensic experts work as a team right from the beginning till the end and are jointly accountable for the results.

          9. Following the liberalization of the economy, there has been a spurt in economic crimes. A strong link has developed between economic offences and the anti-social and terrorist organizations. In order to check these forces, to punish the guilty it is now even more necessary for the investigating agencies and crime-fighting machinery to improve their professionalism and technical skills. The role of the forensic science experts, who are an integral part of the investigation process, becomes all the more important in this context for the forensic experts help the investigation to remain a step ahead of the criminals.

          10. The central pillar of criminal justice system, the judiciary is of paramount importance. While the Government fully appreciates the need for more courts and related infrastructure, there is also need for finding innovative solutions to dispose off the high pendency. An enactment for 'Plea Bargaining' has already been put in place. It needs to be put in practice. We are proud of our judiciary. However, there is always a scope for improvement in the working of all organizations fighting crime.

          11. While we have to continue to tackle the individual cases of corruption, we also have to strive to create a value system and work culture, which will strike at the root of this problem. Our government has embarked on an irreversible path of wide ranging political, administrative and economic reforms measures. Some of the important initiatives have been setting up of 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission. The recommendations of the Commission are being implemented in all seriousness. The enactment of Right to Information Act has brought great deal of transparency in the way we work in the government system. Government is also committed to the participation of women in all areas including Civil Services and elective processes. There are many other initiatives which have been sought to be implemented by the government and they will unfold over a period of time. The focus of all these reforms is to bring about an accountable and transparent administrative machinery particularly in the areas of Civil Service, Judiciary and criminal justice system.

          12. Unless corruption is controlled, it will threaten national security and economic development. Therefore a joint strategy between union and states on the basis of clear principles, priorities and objectives, is essential. Efficient, yet fair criminal justice system is vital for a liberal democracy and good governance. These issues should be at the forefront of the agenda of you all. At this seminar, where the key functionaries of the criminal justice system have gathered, the question that needs to be posed is how to ensure that corrupt are punished speedily and to create deterrence in the minds of would be criminals. What is also needed, is an effective preventive agency by bringing about systemic changes that strike at the very roots of corrupt practices. With your vast experience and personal knowledge of the Institutional lacunae that promote corruption, you, ladies and gentlemen, are most suited to advise the government in this regard. So I would also like to stress that during your deliberations over the next two days, you must explore the larger issues of crimes related to corruption so that an effective strategy can be devised to get rid of this scourge of corruption.

          13. At the end I wish your deliberations will lead to an effective synergy between the investigators, prosecutors and the judiciary. Once again thank all of you for inviting me to this important event.