Last two years of our national history were interspersed with various scams and corruption cases, all to the consternation of the civil society and the more conscientious elements in the Government. The fact is that post-independence Indian society was not prepared to be told that the democratic arrangement which they had so willingly chosen to be their political guideline left then dismayed to some extent. But closer examination of this phenomenon reveals that there is nothing wrong with the democratic system; it is the evil within the human nature and the element of greed and acquisition that have smashed the trust of the people in leadership. It is collapse of moral and ethical values. That is equally traumatizing for the Indian nation.
However, there is silver lining around each dark cloud. Thus goes the saying. No doubt, surfacing of scams and corruption cases in which elected representatives also have been indicted has done our nation tremendous harm. But the positive aspect is that we are harkened to the possibility of corruption seething into various strata of society if we do not take preventive measures to check and eradicate it. That process being the logical end of what has been detected; the process of preventing the scourge has already been initiated at various levels at the Centre and in the States. The most important aspect of the preventive activity lies in re-visiting the laws and procedures that are devised to control the menace.
Our State has had its share of this misfortune. We cannot say that our hands are clean and that the scourge has not rubbed us hard. But we need not get stuck up at the occurrence of scams and not move forward with courage to meet the challenge.
Anti-Corruption Act of 2006 lays down rules and regulations of investigating, prosecuting and remedying corruption in the administrative structure of the State. However, experience has shown that the Act needs revision in the sense that it is to be made more stringent if it is to become really effective. Actually it was in the course of hearing of a case before the High Court that legal luminaries spearheaded by a senior judge of the High Court came to the conclusion that the Act of 2006 needed some necessary amendments. Consequently, the High Court in a directive, desired the Government to constitute a committee that would examine amendments to the Act and then take proper procedural steps to get the amendments passed by the legislature. The directive of the court indicated that there was need for making the existing laws more stringent.
In the light of the court directive, Chief Minister has ordered constitution of a committee of experts headed by the Chief Secretary to draft the amendments to the Anti-corruption Act 2006 focusing on making it more stringent. The Committee has already begun spade work and the final amendment draft will be presented to the Government shortly. The Government is expected to approve the draft amendment and place it before the Legislative Assembly in its forthcoming budget session.
The crux of amendments is to make new laws for retrieving the money/wealth and confiscating properties which have been accumulated through corrupt practices. Just punishing the indicted persons by sending him to jail for a certain period is not enough. After completing the prison term, he is freed and resumes ownership of the vast properties he has amassed through illegal means. This means that the Government is deprived of retrieving the money clandestinely grabbed by a person against whom the case of corruption has been proved. This is a very important and interesting amendment and in all probability would be a deterrent against raising huge properties through illegal means.
In final analysis, the healthy sign is that the Government and the judiciary both are strongly in favour of enforcing such measures as would prove effective in checking and eradicating corrupt practices in the administration.
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