The service run by Transparency International will advise complainants on how they can seek redress for grievances
NEW DELHI (TrustLaw) - Anti-graft watchdog Transparency International is launching a free helpline service in India for people who have suffered at the hands of corrupt public officials, the Times of India reported on Friday.
The helpline run by Transparency International's Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) will provide information to complainants on how they can seek redress for grievances, the paper said.
"The aim is to provide information and direction to people as well as free of cost legal aid, which includes the process of litigation," said R.N. Jha, ALAC's director in India.
The helpline will operate from Dec 2 and will be staffed by 30 people, including retired officials and legal experts including lawyers from India's Supreme Court.
India dropped eight places on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published on Thursday, largely due to a series of high profile graft scams within government over the last year.
The country fell from a 3.3 ranking in 2010 to 3.1 in the CPI where 10 is considered the least corrupt and 0 is the most.
Graft has long been a part of daily life in India, but the recent scandals - which include violations in granting telecoms licences that cost the country $39 billion in lost revenue - are unprecedented.
