The reply to a Right to Information ( RTI) query has exposed a huge scam within the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC). The reply shows that Inquiry Officers (IO) with the BMC violated several rules during investigations against 3,500 corrupt BMC employees.

For instance, the rules state that an inquiry against an officer or an employee should be completed within three months but in all the 3,500 cases the inquiry officers took three to five years to complete investigations, giving the accused a free run till then.u00a0Another rule says if an Inquiry Officer wants extension, he should obtain permission from the Municipal Commissioner giving valid reasons for the delay. But in most cases, no such permission was sought.