Relevance : GS Paper II
Theme of the Article
The last few years have seen attacks on anti-corruption laws and institutions.
Blows to Fighting Graft
- PCA: In 2015, the government proposed amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act. The amendment narrows down the definition of corruption, increases the burden of proof necessary for punishing the corrupt, and makes things more arduous for whistle-blowers.
- CBI: Recent months have witnessed a brazen undermining of the autonomy of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The government, without consulting the selection committee, removed the erstwhile CBI Director and appointed an Interim Director, Although the Supreme Court eventually struck down these decisions as being illegal, it was not before the credibility of the institution was seriously eroded.
- LOKPAL: The government failed to take the necessary steps to appoint a Lokpal in five years. Few weeks prior to the election, a selection committee without the Leader of the Opposition selected the chairperson and members of the Lokpal. The selection of the Lokpal by a committee having a preponderance of government representatives, and consequently an inherent bias towards candidates favoured by the ruling party, defeated the purpose of the law and undermined public trust in the institution even before it became functional.
- WHISTLE BLOWERS: The government has failed to promulgate rules and operationalise the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014. Whistle-blowers continue to be denied protection. Many Right to Information (RTI) users who have exposed corruption have been killed.
- GRIEVANCE BILL: Corruption in India is not limited to collusive high-level scams. Petty corruption, which affects the delivery of basic services and rights to people, is rampant. This especially impacts the poor and marginalised. A legislation to fix this problem was introduced in Parliament in the form of a Grievance Redress Bill in 2011. Unfortunately, it lapsed with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 2014 and needed to be reintroduced. However, no attempts have been made by the government to reintro;duce the Grievance Redress Bill.
- RTI Act: The RTI Act, one of the most effective tools to fight corruption and abuse of power, has been under consistent attack by the Not a single commissioner was appointed to the Central Information Commission in the last five years without intervention by courts. In 2018, the government proposed regressive amendments to undermine the independence of information commissions. These were eventually abandoned due to public pressure.
- ELECTORAL BONDS: The worst blow to the peoples’ right to know came in the form of electoral bonds. There has been an urgent need to infuse greater transparency in political party funding. The electoral bond scheme, passed as a Money Bill in Parliament, prevents citizens from finding out who is funding political parties. Citizens don’t know who makes donations and whose interest, therefore, the party will serve.
Conclusion
Instead of putting in place a robust anti-corruption and grievance redress framework, draconian measures like demonetisation and mandatory use of Aadhaar have been pushed by the government in the name of fighting corruption. These have done more harm than good.
