A household on an average spent Rs 3,817 in this regard, according to an international watchdog for corruption.

The Global Corruption Barometer 2006 report, prepared by Transparency International, also claimed this was a bigger amount than bribes paid in any other sector of the country.

Transparency International quoted a 2005 study by the Centre for Media Studies, which estimated the amount paid by Indians as bribes to the legal system at about Rs 2,630 crore (Rs 26.30 billion).

The CMS study said a majority of the bribes went to lawyers (61 per cent) followed by court officials (29 per cent) and middlemen (five per cent).

Transparency International, however, did not provide details of the number of people it surveyed.

The report said legal delays and complex legal procedures are making Indians take recourse to corrupt measures to get justice.