or the fifth consecutive year in a row, from 2016-20, Maharashtra recorded most corruption cases in the country though cases have been steadily declining over two years.

The state had an abysmally low conviction rate of 7.8% in the pandemic year of 2020, according to data released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). It appears that senior government officers are not interested in acting against their corrupt subordinates caught for graft: Only 11 accused were removed from service and eight got minor punishments from department heads in 2020.

The state recorded 664 Corruption cases last year, which was a 26% decline from 891 in 2019. Officers attribute this to government offices functioning partially during lockdown and fewer people stepping out of Home to approach them.