New Delhi, Sep 18 - Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has failed to live up to expectations of acting as an institutional protection against corruption, Right to Information and social activists Friday alleged.

'The CVC has failed to live upto the expectations of acting as an institutional bulwark against corruption. In particular, it has failed to appreciate its powers and functions to supervise the funcioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI),' senior advocate Prashant Bhushan told reporters here.

'It has also failed in its role as an institution to whom whistle blowers could turn for action against corrupt officers or protection against victimisation,' he added.

Bhushan said in a large number of corruption cases by public servants, supported by documents and reported to the CBI, the agency had even refused to register an FIR and investigate the matter, while the CVC, despite repeated written requests, has failed to exercise its supervisory jurisdiction and get the CBI to investigate those cases.

The CVC had recently put up names of 123 government officials on its website against whom it has advised either penalties or prosecution for corruption.

'Even our prime minister had recently said that agencies like CBI should go after big fishes. But if anyone analyses that list, one can easily notice that most of them are junior level government officers. There are only four officers of level of general managers and even the IPS officers against whom they have advised action are relatively quite junior,' Bhushan added.

Magsaysay Award winner and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal also slammed the CVC.