Only 27 of the 207 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officers and employees named as accused in corruption cases have been suspended, according to Right to Information (RTI) documents obtained from Maharashtra’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The figures, current to 30 April 2026, show that 112 of those named remain in active service, while a further 68 retired before their cases reached a final verdict. BMC, one of the wealthiest civic bodies in the country is facing serious questions over the pace of its anti-graft enforcement, reports NDTV.
The data indicates that roughly 87 per cent of those accused are either still employed or left service before their cases were resolved, a pattern campaigners say points to a wider breakdown in accountability.
Jeetendra Ghadge, an activist with the Young Whistleblowers Foundation, argued that the low suspension rate risks turning corruption proceedings into little more than a waiting game until retirement, undermining the purpose of anti-corruption law.
He called on the Maharashtra government and the relevant investigating agencies to launch an independent inquiry into why so many cases have remained unresolved for years despite being formally registered, and urged fixed timelines for disposing of ACB cases, faster decisions on prosecution sanctions, and full transparency in how such cases are handled.
The RTI disclosure also lays bare how long some of these cases have dragged on. The oldest pending matter dates back to 2005, and several cases have gone more than two decades without a final decision – a delay that anti-corruption campaigners say reflects a deeper institutional failure rather than a handful of isolated incidents.
According to the RTI findings, the BMC’s Engineering Department – which oversees infrastructure projects worth thousands of crores of rupees, including roads, drains and buildings – accounts for the largest share of implicated staff.
Those named include 33 sub-engineers, 13 assistant engineers, 13 junior engineers, and several executive engineers and other senior officials, underlining the scale of alleged wrongdoing in a department responsible for major public works.
The figures further show that corruption allegations are not confined to senior ranks. Class IV staff named in ACB cases include 48 sanitation workers, 24 labourers, six supervisors known as mukadams, and six peons, with several other field staff also under investigation – evidence, activists say, that allegations of graft run from the top of the administration down to its lowest-paid workers.
Separately, the RTI data shows five proposals seeking sanction for prosecution in bribery trap cases remain pending, alongside a further proposal linked to a disproportionate assets case, with some stuck in “in-progress” status since 2024.
Because criminal proceedings cannot advance without prosecution sanction, the delays have raised concern that accused officials are benefiting from the administrative backlog.
The disclosure additionally revealed that 43 previously suspended BMC employees were reinstated during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the civic body citing a need for staff at quarantine centres and in emergency services.
The BMC has declined to identify these employees, citing exemptions under the RTI Act, and maintains that disclosure could compromise ongoing criminal or departmental proceedings — a stance that has prompted questions over whether the public health emergency was used as cover to bring back staff facing serious allegations.
