To our chagrin, we Indians read the results of many a global survey that India is one of the top ranking countries where corruption is rampant in the public life. I do not see any attempt being made to reduce it. Our political leaders (netas) and their cronies, unscrupulous bureaucrats and the businessmen, all are ravishing in the corruption bonanza. After independence, whilst there has been no real term improvement in the condition of poor, the neo-rich, reaping the returns on corruption, got richer.
What are the root causes of corruption in India? What makes corruption initiate, propagate and sustain under Indian conditions?
Law and Order and administration of justice: The Indian Penal Code (IPC), which covers all substantive aspects of Indian criminal law was drafted and enforced by British colonial rulers in 1862. Their primary aim was to rule native Hindustanis. Notwithstanding the fact that the IPC has been amended several times since then, its purport remains same. The Indian Police Service and the justice system, custodians of the rule of law, are supposed to protect the common man. However far from considering them as saviors, common man is fearful and has lost faith in the law and order system of the country. The police have become brutal. Every clause in the IPC, ostensibly drafted to protect the common citizen, is actually used to protect the influential, politicians and even criminals. The lackadaisical system of justice offers enough loopholes to the criminals to roam scot-free on the one hand and opportunities to the oppressors to put innocent behind the bars, on the other. Under the current system, it is practically impossible to book an erring politician or a bureaucrat. Quite strange, but the system of law and order and justice in India in effect supports corruption and the corrupt, directly or indirectly.
Lack of Transparency and accountability: Just enter any government office, the view is almost identical: files, unoccupied seats, peons seating in front of the closed cabins and virtually ruling over the office. The common man who comes to obtain some information or to avail some public service is lost. He does not know the procedure and who in that office is accountable. As a result, he is forced to seek help from the middlemen available plentiful. The situation is like that from the time immemorial. No attempt has ever been made to improve. Thus it could be concluded that the lack of transparency and accountability (or their absence) continues in collusion with the public servants.
Lack of citizens’ participation in the democratic process: One of the most effective ways to bring about a change in democratic system is to vote for the right candidate in the elections. Whilst common citizen is never tired of criticising the government, but when it comes to casting a vote, the response is very poor. With country-wide average of less than 40% polling, a politician can come to power with less than 10% votes at the hustings. It appears common man has lost faith in the democratic systems and accepts politics as a necessary evil.
Thus the Indian system of law and order, the administration of justice and the lack of transparency and accountability in governance, on the one hand and the lack of people’s participation in the democratic process, on the other, perpetuate corruption and make it a vehicle to obtain (or usurp) and sustain power. It is all power game at the end.
Addendum:
Inspired by Pritish Nandy’s article (The Times of India, Pune Times, 24 November 20100), I add the following:
I fully agree with Pritish that India is not a corrupt nation and 90% of the Indians could be put in the honest category. It is those 10% power elite, albeit unscrupulous politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen, who brought us to this sorry state of affairs and they will continue to do so until the citizens take them on. At present, vote is the only most powerful tool in out hand.
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