Lokpal... Our Saviour from corruption???

The new interesting episode (The Lokpal Bill, 2010) of the super hit series “The Great Indian Tamasha” has had a rippling effect across the nation. The modern day Gandhi, Anna Hazare, has risen from obscurity to create India’s Tahrir Square (Jantar Mantar) and has evoked positive responses from the youth across the country. He says his fast is not just to push for the bill but to ensure that the bill is mutually drafted by the Government and the civil society. He fears that if left to the Government, it would be undemocratic and would allow the politicians to provide far too many loopholes to let themselves off the hook.

So what is the Lokpal Bill, 2010? Successive governments have tried to put it in place in the last 42 years. Honesty and integrity has been glorified throughout our history… in the Vedas, Upanishads etc… even our national motto is “Satyameva Jayate”. Yet today, we are one of the most corrupt countries in the world. A study by Transparency International in 2005 found that more than 15% Indians had firsthand experience of bribing or peddling influence to get any type of job done in a public office. In 2010, India ranked 87^th (of 178 countries) in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Over 1/4^th of MPs face criminal charges including heinous crimes such as human trafficking, extortion, rape and murder. It is said that the country has been looted of over Rs 20 lakh crore between 1948 and 2008 (that is nearly 40% of India’s annual GDP!). The Lokpal Bill, 2010 is an attempt by the Government, reeling under a series of corruption charges, to gain some lost ground. Civil rights activists opine that the draft legislation is weak and have proposed the Civil Society’s Lokpal Bill. Some of the differences in the Government’s proposal and the Civil Society’s proposal are listed below:

Government’s Proposal: The Lokpal will not have any power to either initiate action suo moto in any case or even receive complaints of corruption from the public. The public will have to send their complaints to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha who will further forward the complaint to the Lokpal, if he / she finds merit in the complaint

Citizen’s Proposal: The Lokpal will have powers to initiate investigations suo moto in any case and also to directly entertain complaints from the public.

Government’s Proposal: The Lokpal is an advisory body and after enquiry in any case, will forward its report to a competent authority. The competent authority will have the final powers to decide whether to take action on the Lokpal’s report.

Citizen’s Proposal: The Lokpal will have powers to initiate prosecutions against anyone after completion of investigations. It will also have the powers to order disciplinary proceedings against any government servant.

Government’s Proposal: The Lokpal does not have police powers and cannot file an FIR. Therefore all enquiries conducted will be equivalent to preliminary enquiries.

Citizen’s Proposal: The Lokpal will have police powers and will be able to file FIRs, proceed with criminal investigations and launch prosecutions

There are several such differences between both proposals which is the bone of contention between both parties. The media has picked on this story and we’ve been seeing a million discussions on TV and social networking sites debating the issue. The “Twitterati” who thrive on situations like this (not surprisingly!) for their “5 minutes of fame” are thronging TV studios and slowing down Twitter servers with their frivolous tweets!!!

So, do we actually need the Lokpal Bill? Yes and No. This statement is bound to raise a few eyebrows and roll a few eyeballs. The Lokpal Bill is crucial to nail corrupt politicians and babus who have robbed the public of social infrastructure and development. But… do we really think that corruption will end if we prosecute a few politicians or babus? Let’s stop making a mockery of our intelligence and get realistic. We, the aam aadmi, are responsible for corruption in the country. Each one of us is equally guilty of encouraging corruption. We don’t mind greasing people’s hands to get our job done quickly, drop names on being hauled up by authorities, bribe officials to avoid penalties. The list is endless.  In my opinion, the ‘giver’ and ‘receiver’ are equally guilty and both need to be taken to task. When the three arms of the Indian democracy – the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary – are susceptible to corruption, what is the guarantee that the seeds of corruption will not be in full bloom at the Lokpal? To bury the ghosts of corruption forever, each one of us will have to give up our comforts and stand up against corrupt officials. It’s time for a revolution indeed but not the Jasmine Revolution / Arab Spring type.