Central Vigilance Commission

In 1991, a raid meant to trace a terror suspect’s funding turned up two diaries. They named about 115 politicians and bureaucrats who had allegedly taken bribes. That accident, and the decade of stalled investigation after it, is why the Central Vigilance Commission finally got real legal power in 2003. India’s top anti-corruption watchdog for central government staff still cannot prosecute anyone. It can investigate, advise and recommend. Enforcement always sits with someone else.

1Part 1: Origin and Structure

Must Know

Origin: Santhanam Committee, 1964

• The CVC was set up in 1964 on the Santhanam Committee’s recommendation.
• For nearly four decades it was a body created only by a government resolution.
• It became a statutory body only through the CVC Act, 2003. That gave it real legal standing, not just executive backing.

Composition

• The CVC is a multi-member body: a Central Vigilance Commissioner as chairperson, plus up to two Vigilance Commissioners.

How members are appointed

• The President appoints members on the recommendation of a three-member Selection Committee.
• The committee is the Prime Minister (chair), the Union Home Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Term and removal

• Members serve four years, or until age 65, whichever comes first.
• After leaving, they are ineligible for further employment under the Central or a State Government.
• The President can remove a member for proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
• This can happen only after the Supreme Court holds an inquiry and confirms it.
• The President is bound by that advice, and cannot act alone.

2Part 2: Powers and Limits

Good to Know

Superintendence over the CBI

• The CVC exercises superintendence over the CBI’s anti-corruption investigations.
• It gives vigilance advice to ministries, departments and public sector undertakings.
• See CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).

The power it does not have

• The CVC cannot prosecute anyone itself.
• Actual enforcement stays with the concerned department, or with the CBI.
• Because its powers are advisory, its real influence depends on whether the government of the day acts on its advice.
• Critics regularly point to this as a structural limit in India’s anti-corruption design.

CVC versus Lokpal

• The CVC’s jurisdiction is narrower. It covers central government employees and PSU staff.
• The Lokpal also reaches some categories of politicians.
• The Lokpal can refer cases down to the CVC for a preliminary inquiry. So the two form one chain, not rivals.
• See Lokpal: India’s Anti-Corruption Ombudsman.

The CBI Director’s selection committee

• The CVC’s Selection Committee shares two members with the committee that picks the CBI Director.
• That committee swaps the Home Minister for the Chief Justice of India.
• This is deliberate. The CBI needs more distance from the executive than the CVC does.

3Part 3: The Story Behind the 2003 Act

Great to Know

A 40-year gap

• The CVC’s creation came nearly 40 years before its statutory status.
• A similar pattern shows up with SEBI. It existed from 1988 but got statutory powers only in 1992.

The Hawala diaries

• In 1991, a raid tracing a terror suspect’s finances led investigators to hawala broker Surendra Kumar Jain.
• His seized diaries recorded payments to roughly 115 politicians and bureaucrats, identified only by initials, across every major party.
• The CBI investigation dragged on for years under alleged political pressure.
• Journalist Vineet Narain filed a public interest petition in the Supreme Court in 1993, demanding a genuine investigation.

Vineet Narain (1997)

• The Supreme Court’s ruling in Vineet Narain v. Union of India struck down a rule shielding senior officials from investigation.
• It directed the government to give the CVC statutory status, with a supervisory role over the CBI.
• So what? The CVC Act, 2003 was not a routine update. It was the government complying with a Supreme Court order, forced by one journalist’s persistence and a scandal no one could keep quiet.

4Previous Year Questions

Examiners pair two commissions as distractors.

5Part 4: Current Affairs

Great to Know

A.S. Rajeev, acting CVC

• On 3 August 2026, A.S. Rajeev, former CEO of Bank of Maharashtra, took charge as acting Central Vigilance Commissioner.
• He succeeded Praveen Kumar Srivastava, whose term had ended. (Source: ANI)

Praveen Vashisht, Vigilance Commissioner

• Praveen Vashisht, a 1991-batch IPS officer, was appointed a Vigilance Commissioner in December 2025.
• He assumed charge on 16 January 2026. (Source: Central Vigilance Commission)

Quick Q&A

• Who recommended the CVC? The Santhanam Committee.
• Which Act made it statutory? The CVC Act, 2003.
• Who selects its members? PM, Home Minister, Leader of Opposition.
• Can it prosecute? No. Its powers are advisory.
• Which case forced statutory status? Vineet Narain v. Union of India, 1997.