Friday, November 01, 2013

Supreme Court on oral orders

In a petition filed by many concerned citizens including retired civil servants, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that civil servants are not expected to be guided by oral orders of superior officials and political authorities.

Our governance is at such an abysmally low level that a court has to intervene and advise what the civil servants are supposed to be governed by. Will this ruling make any difference  to our administrative culture? Probably no.

It is feared that even some judicial orders are based on oral instructions from the powers-that-be. If that be the case, where is the solution? Integrity and fairness continue to be a mirage in our culture of self-interest and subservience.

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