Something is Rotten in the State of ...

A for Adarsh

B for Benami Accounts

C for CWG

D for Devas

Go tell the Westerners, we have our own Alphabetrix (inspired by Matrix). With the scams pouring in a dozen a month, we might as well have a whole new vocabulary very soon. 

The awe-mongring scale of scams can be gauged from the fact that it not only dwarfs the GDP of several countries but also makes it look like pittance. A single scam is sufficient to wipe out the entire annual fiscal deficit of the country and bring the budget in surplus. A few together can pay off the external debt. If combined the scams can very well monetize the requirements of social welfare programs (for which the money is never there!) and so on and so forth …

I am not trying to tell that we have a very corrupt system, it is already known anyway, but that the sheer magnitude of money involved has bewildered even the corrupt souls. There is so much scope to make money which a poor-middle class babu never thought about while accepting a few hundred rupees to make the files sail. If this is the kind of inspiring leadership he has, he might as well have made more!

More - that is really a very powerful word. Whatever you have - its never enough. Such an amazing thing it is that, on one hand, it makes a great player like Sachin Tendulkar to go on & on, being completely loyal to the game while on the other motivates the greed to hoard, to loot, to accumulate, to amass wealth that you might never be able to use in this life time by depriving someone of the meal for the day !! 

While these rumblings of a dismayed soul can continue incessantly, a more pertinent issue of discussion which these recent exposures have raised is about the structure of investigative agencies in India.

The three main agencies that are intended to play a very important role in discovering/uncovering abuse of power and issues related to corruption are - The Central Bureau of Investigation,  the Central Vigilance Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor-General. All these agencies although autonomous (and independent for the namesake) are hamstrung by the collusion between the politics and bureaucracy. The laws governing the bodies are intentionally strewn with loopholes for those in power to be able to arm-twist the system when needed. All are handicapped to disallow an impartial investigation. The need of permission from the government before taking an investigative action against a bureaucrat, the absence of any investigative machinery with CVC and reliance on the mercy of support from other organizations, the ministerial power to transfer officers (when on the brink of making a breakthrough in a case) are just a few but glaring shortfalls. Moreover, the attempts to cure the system by passing progressive legislations have always been met with strong resistance. The lapse of Lokpal Bill, which aims to bring ministers including the PM under the scrutiny more than once in the Parliament, is again just one of the examples. 

The picture is dismal and there is an urgent need for action. We have enough evidence before us to suggest that, if allowed to function, these same organization can work wonders. The complete turnaround in the pace of CBI’s work after the Supreme Court taking over the 2G and CWG cases (the first such instance happened in the Vineet Narain Case in 1997 when Supreme Court directed CBI to directly report to it) stands witness to the fact. 

There is a dire need to reform the age-old Delhi Special Police Establishment Act (1946) which governs CBI. As often mentioned by former CBI Director Mr. Raghvan, more freedom has to be divested to the agency, the leadership should be free from the fear of being sent to Andamans  in case they raise an eyebrow. The CVC and the CAG also need to be strengthened - from having just an advisory role, the government should be obliged to note and present a case for not taking action on the CAG report; the CVC should have the power to mandate assistance from fraternal agencies during an investigation. I don’t plead for blanket freedom (we don’t want an Indian KGB) but for a balanced stance where there is no interference in daily activities of these agencies.

A strong public opinion can forcibly inculcate the missing political will. It is difficult to be optimistic, but I do see the glass half-full. Lets hope it would happen soon otherwise there will just be an empty glass - the hopelessness, the despair and the gloom …..