Degradation of the system is not attracting the attention of lawmakers and the judiciary as it should

The recent raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the residences of associates of two West Bengal Ministers have recovered more than Rs 40 crore cash. Both Partha Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita have been arrested. In June 2022, Vijay Singla, Punjab Minister, was arrested along with his aides soon after becoming Minister for demanding money.

In the month of June another IAS officer from Punjab Sanjay Popli was arrested for demanding bribes. A few months ago in May 2022 the residence of Jharkhand Mining Secretary Pooja Singhal, an IAS officer, and her Chartered Accountant were raided and the ED recovered more than Rs 19 crore.

Some months ago the former Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh was arrested in April 2022 by the CBI on corruption charges and money laundering. The police inspector Sachin Waze and the Minister's personal Secretary and assistant were arrested. It was alleged that the Minister had directed Waze to collect Rs 200 crores every month.

The Health Minister of Delhi was arrested by ED for Rs 4.8 crore money laundering cases after the CBI filed a case for corruption in 2017. One Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer of Odisha cadre Abhay Kant Patnaik was arrested in November 2020 for spending Rs 3 crore for travelling on Chartered flights and a huge amount was found in the bank account of his son.

For the past 15 years, Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Commission is always in the news for recruitment scandals on the one hand and on the other hand the youths are trapped in outsourced scandals for manpower engagements.

Similarly, in Uttar Pradesh one Public Service Commission Chief was of dubious qualifications, which openly created a big scam in the recruitment of officers in the provincial services. No one, it seems. is taking such arrests of Ministers and crumbling of institutions seriously.

The purpose of narrating these cases is to prick the core conscience of the nation that the system of governance in our country, especially in states, has started rotting. Degradation of the system is not attracting the attention of law-makers and the judiciary to the extent these institutions of governance should. Such news has become very common these days and it seems the people have accepted it as the new normal.

If we take into account the prevailing scenario, the democratic institutions do not seriously bother for the sanctity of accepting the truth and accountability. This will ultimately erode the faith of the present democratic system and the history is replete with examples that those societies who do not learn from the mistakes give way to dictatorial forces or disintegrate.

Sri Lanka is a recent example of how divisive politics and corruption played over 40 years ruined the nation.

In short the country's institutions of governance are crying for reforms. The Prevention of corruption Act should be amended to provide for confiscation of property disproportionate to the known source of income. The political parties should be brought under the section 2(h) of the Right of Information Act so that in money matters and giving tickets to criminals the voter has the right to know.

The anti-defection law has totally failed and it should be scrapped altogether. To check unruly behaviours of MPs and MLAs a strong code of conduct must be evolved and the presiding officers should be empowered to expel such members from the rest of the session and habitual misconduct shall be sufficient to debar such members from contesting elections for another six years.

Similarly, sudden and indiscriminate blockage of roads and damage to public property in the name of democratic protest should be made a punishable offence and for democratic protests some specific place should be assigned by the administration like the one we have at Jantar Mantar.

The local area development fund of MPs and MLAs should be linked to pre-approved schemes in district development plans so that these schemes are included in the budget. There is a need to amend the constitution and create a provision of 'Referendum' so that direct democracy can be practiced to decide on certain national issues like population control and national security so that fruits of development are not frittered away.

The civil services must be made accountable and a process of periodical review should be undertaken to weed out the inefficient, insensitive and corrupt bureaucrats. A civil services bureau may be created for this purpose and also to punish civil servants for misuse of powers and the remits of corruption should be redefined beyond financial corruption to include delays, procrastination and deliberate arbitrary acts.

( The author is Chairman, Centre for Resource Management and Environment)