Lalu conviction is a victory for India’s investigating agencies

Conviction of politicians in corruption cases is rare in India, a nation ranked 79 on Transparency International’s corruption perception index of 176 countries. Saturday’s conviction of maverick politician Lalu Prasad Yadav in a case dating back to 1994 can be seen as a major success for investigating and prosecuting agencies.

Yadav was found guilty of fraudulently withdrawing over 8 million rupees from government funds meant for buying cattle feed in the northern state of Bihar. The punishment will be decided on January 3 and can be appealed in a higher court.

The Bihar verdict came days after the shocking acquittal of all the accused in ‘2G’ scam in which ministers, officials and corporates were accused of colluding to cause revenue loss to the exchequer in telephone spectrum allotment. Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, though not formally charged, also came under the shadow of the alleged scam that eventually triggered a nationwide movement against corruption. The movement led to the downfall of Dr Singh’s government despite promulgating a new anti-corruption law. His successor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who won the 2014 election promising to root out corruption, failed to appoint the ‘Lokpal’, a federal anti-corruption ombudsman mandated by law.

However, Yadav’s conviction, coming a good 23 years after the scandal came to light, may not be a straight ‘bad-guy-caught-by-police’ story. Yadav is the main opponent of Modi’s party in Bihar and some say his conviction is an attempt to finish his career. This is not surprising, given the track record of investigating agencies, which can delay or accelerate cases, depending upon the ruling politicians’ interests.

The only way India can improve its corruption index ranking for sure is by appointing a federal, independent ombudsman.