Katju, a person of great eminence was on the backfoot in the
Times Now debate yesterday. Despite performing a commendable job in highlighting the impropriety committed in granting
extension to a tainted high court judge of the Chennai court, the other two
panelists were successful in pulling him down over the issue of his remaining
mum, both while he was in active assignment and also for the over two years that elapsed since
he hung up his boots.
His defense that he could not
have gone beyond a point in expressing his resentment over the grave
impropriety being committed right under his nose by the supreme authorities of
the land obviously does not cut much ice. That his hands were tied by the
compulsions of being an active judge and therefore not able to resist the mischievous actions of those in power is an argument
that we often hear, especially from the bureaucrats who on similar lines grow wise
and gutsy after retirement.
Is this, the conventional
approach of being silent partners in crime the right course of action I wonder?
Is permitting without a whimper, gross cases of misconduct under the garb of
remaining within the ambit of the conduct rules applicable to government
servants, the ethical way of doing things?
The answer is NO, yet almost all
of us with exceptions of the likes of Khemka, Khairnar or Kiran, all with first
names starting with the letter K, find it the most convenient and justifiable
action that despite the voice of conscience saying otherwise, we absolve ourselves with throughout our lives. Incidentally Katju also belongs to the same variety and that makes me reverent of the alphabet K.
Silent partners in crime with
allegiance to powerful individuals and not to the government or the nation, is
what almost all of us in the service of the government have emerged as. Rampant
corruption and injustice therefore flourishes right under our noses and we tend
to look elsewhere till at times we take a direct hit.
Is it not our duty to be
truthful, honest and compassionate and at the same time put our foot down when
someone else howsoever powerful he may be fleeces the nation by his
misdemeanors. While our conscience that is an integral part of the almighty
winces at all such acts, our intellect tempered by the everyday happenings of
the society guides us otherwise in the garb of being practical for fear of
retribution that may or may not come in the shape of a transfer or a spoiled confidential
report. Is it not therefore a case of paying a very high price for avoiding a
minor inconvenience?
This lack spine at crucial
moments in our service career provides the wherewithal to powerful individuals
to carry on with their acts of gross misconduct while at the same time remaining on
the right side of the conduct rules framed for the servants of the government. This is the greatest irony of the so called service of the nation.
Any system or structure that regards
an expose’ as a much bigger crime than the criminal deed itself would never be
able to propel the nation to the league of developed countries. Any
organization where the frank and free expression of its constituents is
regarded as dissent worthy of grave retribution is bound to wither away with
time. The functioning of organizations and states has to have its foundations
on pillars of justice, justice that meets the voice of conscience not merely
some rules and procedures written in books. Unless this realization dawns on
the mandarins of the republic, we would forever remain occupied in a futile
search for growth and development.
Those in Power (in Indian Bureaucracy) have double standards. Anyone exposing instances of corruption in Indian Bureaucracy is welcome to do so at his own risk and cost. Transfers and Delayed Promotions (due to spoiled APARs) are a minor trouble as compared to organised reaction of those in Power.
ReplyDeleteSir, I am still hopeful or rather optimistic to believe that some day the lotus of honesty will blossom in the muddy pond of corruption in our country.
ReplyDeleteThere are still many bureaucrats like Khemka, Khairnar or Lohani who bolster my this belief.
अच्छे दिन आएँगे।
It is good to be an eternal Optimist .
ReplyDelete