Companies in India have started taking a more pro-active and conscious approach in dealing with corruption within and outside their organisations. Bribery and corruption have become key concerns for companies, especially for those engaging in business globally. Hence, this change has also come about mainly to comply with anti-corruption and bribery laws of other countries, especially the United States and United Kingdom, which also provide the authorities with extra-territorial powers. "The Prevention of Corruption Act is the principal legislation in India which provides for penalties in relation to corruption by public servants and also for those who are involved in the abetment of an act of corruption "Changes in domestic laws have also necessitated the required shift. Recently, the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Prevention of Corruption Act) has been amended and now prescribes for corporate entities to have compliance procedures in place, in order to prevent its employees from engaging in any act which may be categorised as corruption or bribery under the said Act. Accordingly, the companies have started to adopt their own internal procedures and policies to comply with anti-corruption laws. These policies are usually prepared in order to cover compliances as required by the applicable laws in India as well as overseas jurisdictions. Indian companies, which are subsidiaries of foreign multinational companies, have to adhere to the strict US and UK anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and with the applicable laws of the jurisdiction wherein the parent company is located. The subsidiaries are required to mandatorily follow the exhaustive anti-corruption policies and frameworks laid down by their global counterparts. Further, recent trends indicate that companies have actively started hosting workshops and training sessions to create awareness amongst their employees and personnel on the rights, obligations and duties under anti-corruption laws, bribery and ethics internal policies, specifically in respect of business dealings with third parties. Some organisations have also set up whistle-blower protection mechanisms through their internal policies and procedures, to encourage reporting of acts of corruption or bribery by their counterparts in the organisation.
