Conviction in Corruption Case: The Long Road to Justice
Monday, 6 October 2014
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Kautilya, in his Arthashastra,
says: “Just as a fish moving deep under water cannot be possibly found out
either as drinking or not drinking water, so, government servants employed in
government work may not be found out while taking the money for
themselves. It is possible to ascertain
the movement of birds flying high up in the sky but it is not possible to
ascertain the movement of government servants or their hidden purposes.”
Kautilya further says: “Just as it is impossible not to taste a
drop of honey or poison that is placed at the tip of the tongue, so it is
rather impossible for the government servant not to eat up at least a bit of
the king’s revenue.”
The conviction of former Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister must have compelled Kautilya
to turn in his grave. After all, here is a case of the chief servant herself
being convicted in the disproportionate assets case.
Often, members of the political
class manage to get away from prosecution with the abuse of power, betraying
the trust of people who voted them to office. Even if somehow a politician
fails to protect his/her skin and is convicted of malpractices, attempts are
made at every stage to obstruct and delay the judicial process. Thus, by exploiting
the grey areas of law, the convict is able to remain in office and exercise
power for prolonged periods of time. This also ensures that the case escapes
media scorn and eventually fades away from public memory.
What such clever people fail to
realise is the fact that the rule of law upholds for all citizens including
people in high public office. However dextrous you may be in sweeping your
clandestine activities under the carpet, a day shall come when you are
scrambling through your coffers replete with booty and suddenly your hands
collide with the skeletons hidden there from the past. This is the day the gaze of law falls upon
you and the majesty of law triumphs. As long as the case proceeds, you feel
happy at being successfully able to dodge your destiny only to realise later
the depth of pit you have dug up for yourself and the number of links of sin
you have forged for yourself.
An elected leader is a repository
of public faith and carries the great responsibility of delivering on his/her
electoral promises by means of effective and corruption free governance. It is
expected of a leader to narrow down the disparities by way of his/her
administrative acumen and bring the society to the altar of progress and
prosperity. Isn’t it shameful that often such leaders are found indulging in
unconstitutional activities? Isn’t it a murder of public faith when such
leaders are caught siphoning off public funds to their personal accounts which
are otherwise meant for public welfare?
It certainly is!
A politician is primarily a
public servant who ought to serve the society to the best of his/her ability.
We, not I should be the agenda when it comes to the distribution of fruits of
effective public policies. State, not self should be the word that should prick
the conscience when it comes to assessing the impact of government decisions.
What we observe in most cases, unfortunately, is just the contrary.
It is indeed a matter of great
pride that ultimately it is the wisdom of judiciary that prevails, however long
it might take. But we need to plug the lacunae in our system by means of checks
and balances and strengthen our legal framework to check the abuse of power. It
is high time the procedural reforms are introduced to expedite the disposition
of cases that involve huge amounts of taxpayer’s money. There is an urgent need
to ensure that those found guilty are severely punished. This can only be
achieved by ensuring active citizen participation. Strengthening the provisions
of the Right to Information (RTI) Act to empower the citizens is the need of
the hour. Voters must exercise their right to vote if they are to elect able
administrators. A change in attitude toward the nation is also required if we
are to develop a sense of collective responsibility and ensure honest
functioning of government machinery.
It is we who can bring the change
and for that we will have to be the change ourselves!
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