Countering corruption

Commissioner of Income Tax, Nagpur, one Ajay Kumar Singh was nabbed yesterday by CBI on charges of possessing assets disproportionate to his income. His wife also has been arrested. This is hardly any news because we have become inured to cases of corruption everywhere, whether it be in CBI, police, judiciary or AICTE.

Psychology of corruption is interesting. As the saying goes, an open door invites a saint. There are attractions aplenty in departments like the Income Tax. If one's ethical edifice is not strong, becoming corrupt is only a matter of time. There are only two bulwarks against corruption. First ethical standards must be strengthened and secondly the deviants should be punished severely and without delay. Unfortunately, we are failing on both counts.

Tardiness in dealing with charges of corruption vitiates the society. It is sad that tardiness is our national trait. Some of us may remember the case of Justice Ramasamy who became a Supreme Court judge on elevation from Punjab High Court. When corruption charges were brought up against him, Chief Justice of India made him go on leave. Since the only way of forcing a Supreme Court judge out of office before he/she turns 65 is through parliamentary impeachment, such proceedings were initiated in the Lok Sabha. The then prime minister, P.V.Narasimha Rao to whom politics was nothing but pragmatism (an euphemism for amorality) ensured defeat of the impeachment motion by advising his part members to abstain. Putting up with corruption amounts to encouraging corruption.

This time around, the Supreme Court also has become 'pragmatic'. It continues to dilly- dally when charges and counter-charges are having a field day in the case of Justice P.D.Dinakaran. Every case of alleged corruption that is mishandled only further fertilises corruption .