Like the summer heat in India, corruption is something which most of us have come to accept as part of being Indian. Most of us talk at a stretch, like we do in the case of the climate but do nothing about it, because we think it is a doomed fight anyway. We don't give it a try. What is worse? There are hundreds of energetically dissuading citizens on the sidelines, for every one citizen who is making that one extra effort to fight. Such companionship of cynical citizens should be avoided like a plague. Yet, a sheer living room chitchat about all prevalent corruption cannot bring a change. Action is the only way out, without the deterrent of failure.
In building our modern institutions, eminent civil servants played an essential role by maintaining law and order, conserving the unity and integrity of our country. Many of a times, we witness civil servants who are corrupt. A journalistic scoop revealed the list of civil servants who were investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for corrupt practices. For about two years ago this list has been sent to the government requesting for prosecution and nothing has happened – government's inaction! Remarks from many people are that this list was very small and doesn't include the big fish. We have to accept the truth that there are honest and decent civil servants who are at times accidentally are accused in such cases and many of the corrupt ones escape the net.
The ACB's powers are limited, procedures are slow and levels of justice are disappointing. Prosecution has to be approved by the State government to take disciplinary action. It is impossible to launch prosecution or act against erring employees due to the political consideration and bureaucratic ennui. Especially in case of All- India services the ACB is straitjacketed. It cannot start an investigation without the permission of the Chief Minister. Heads of government cannot be investigated without the approval of the government. Without the government approval, a net cannot be thrown. All these circumstances make ACB ineffective and totally depended on government.
The ACB should be made independent and sovereign. A crime investigation which is under political control can leave a scope for favoritism and well-meaning bureaucrats can be bullied by crooked politicians. The pressing need of the hour is to make bureaucracy truly accountable and separate the crime investigation process from political control, only then the confidence on governance process will increase. No matter how many times the citizens reject the government or a party, vent their anger through public protests, demonstrations, the real character of governance won't change; the local public servant behaves in the same way : as corrupt, arrogant, arbitrary and greedy.
Sanjana Medipally
20153006
Good blog post.
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