If two or more persons run across and kick off a conversation about the current scenario of the Indian society, they in a little while would come to the conclusion that each and every system, every single institution of India is infested with deception and corruption. Corruption has become so usual in public life that citizens can now scarcely think of public life without associating it with corruption.

Corruption refers to perversion of morality, rectitude, character and allegiance out of monetary or other motives (e.g. Bribery) unescorted by honour, right or justice. In a general life, a dishonest person is one who confers undue favour on someone with whom he has financial interest. Concurrently, those who actually deserve those things as their right remain deprived.

Evolution of Corruption:

Corruption is not a contemporary phenomenon. It was widespread in the political and the civic life even during the Mauryan times and had been debated by Chanakya in the “Arthashastra”. It was also prevalent during the later Mughal period when debauchery was possibly at its peak and when the reputed so-called mighty Mughals could not protect even the boundaries of the then Delhi from raiders of middle east and central Asia Several descendants of the Great Mughals namely Mohammad Shah ‘Rangeela’ themselves overindulged in all sorts of corruption that incorporated palm-greasing and offering incentives to the husky nobles to seek their military support against their opponents. Dishonesty reached new unparalleled heights during the British period. The Britishers posted in India were corrupt and vile from head to toe. It is recorded in documents which date back to the time period from late eighteenth to mid nineteenth century specifically during the time when India was dragged into the two Opium wars of the English with China. Dishonesty and corruption reached their zenith under the Indian envoys ie the scandalous ‘Gomasthas’ who worked under the British officials of the East India Company. They minted a lot of illegal money, gold, silver and precious stones by clandestinely vending ‘dastak’. This document was a trade permit given to the East India Company by the Mughals.

Chicken headed Politicians and the Consumption of Corruption:

The preponderance of corruption in Indian politics is a well known fact these days. People know that the majority of their representatives are anything but honest. Once they come to enjoy the fruits of power, they would move heaven and earth to make hay while the sun shines. Evidence shows that in India, time and again a substantial number of big and small politicians are caught on the wrong footing. Astonishingly, the citizens do not penalize them by not returning them to power the next time. They vote for these very politicians helping them indirectly through the cumbersome judicial system to shut their stained record of flagrantly misusing and effectively looting the Indian taxpayer’s hard earned money.

Shades of Corruption:

Besides bribery, nepotism, theft and wastage of public money, dereliction of duty is also a form of corruption commonly found in the Indian society. Nepotism is one of the most broadly practiced forms of corruption in India. It endures practically every onslaught to stop it. It neglects the inappropriateness of worthy candidates for appropriate jobs in goodwill of unsuitable and less meritorious candidates. Blatant carelessness in carrying out public duty is another notable type of corruption. Government officials and police, in addition to doctors and even teachers are frequently found irresponsible towards the people. These moral tortures on the accustomed citizens know no end. The state of affairs in the Indian police force is substandard and the force is known as one of the most corrupt in the entire world. A special case in the point is the UP police which has been identified as one of the most corrupt and brutal police forces in the world. The Indian police is yet to incorporate the changes suggested by the Soli Sorabjee committee. To get valid FIRs registered one has to grease the palms of the unscrupulous and greedy SHOs. Even for a simple and basic document like Passport one needs to pay an amount to the Inspector or the Havaldar that may range from 500 to 5500. The point to note here is that the official fee for passport is paid at the time of booking time-slot for PSK visit. The whole system i.e. officials and administration are almost always in contempt of the sanctity of the divine precinct of educational institutions to make financial gains. Without giving heavy donations, it is tough, perhaps infeasible to get admission in a top-notch educational institute in India. Unfortunately and paradoxically the judiciary in India, which should provide a cure for corruption as the guardian of constitution, has recently come in the grip of dishonesty. As a result, the corrupt elements pull out all the stops to vandalize justice.

Criminogenic of Corrupters:

Dr Upendera Baxi had stated that the criminogenic of corruption may entail more than bribery offences between giver and the receiver. It may spill further to the misappropriation of bribes, distortions in markets of corruption, intimidation and outright violence to remedy unjust enrichment and for rendering of promised services and even possibilities of counter-intimidation and violence. More importantly as Adam smith (who is frequently cited but rarely read) long ago had advocated, the market does not impulsively emerge, rather it has to be established. He stressed on the need to resist against the forces of corrupters to ensure a smooth market or economy.

Taxes are an additional prodding and the law should maintain equilibrium between individual income and expenditure. Expenditures incurred by the people should be regarded as the honest basis for levying of direct taxes. But that is generally not the case. Tax terrorism, which implies collection of taxes which is disproportionately in measure with income, ia another form of legal and fiscal corruption by the elected. This leads to flight of capital from the economy as is evidenced in ‘post 2014 India’. Free market economy doesn’t acknowledge emancipation to exploit. An utmost root of corruption among politicians and bureaucrats in many countries is the immeasurable discretionary power vested in them. Since India has embarked on the expedition of economic reforms in the year 1991, there has been a substantial contraction in these discretionary powers. The antidote to corruption is to curtail the role of ministers which is utopian at best in present day India.

In addition to aforementioned, a considerable and unavoidable cause of corruption is election expenditure which had led to the blatant hypocrisy distinctly since 1969 when Indira Gandhi had embargoed company donations to political parties. Post 2017 budget, the fundings to the political parties through the electoral bond has made the donation process even more opaque. The features of the electoral bonds make them look similar to hawala. This has caused a stratospheric rise in the funds in the kitty of the ruling political party. This is nothing but a naked manifestation of the financial corruption and pillage by the current regime.

Remedies to corruption practices:

The avarice of politicians is beyond dreams and is in harmony with the willingness of unethical businessmen who have mastered the art of paving their way to successful businesses empires by reimbursing their political masters. The pre-eminent panacea for the government should be to limit the election expenses by both the parties and the candidates. Aside from diminishing the corruptive practices, it will enable honest and fair people to enter politics and serve the nation. This can be done if the recommendation of the former Chief Election Commissioner Dr. S.Y. Quraishi to set up a separate account for election expenditure under the Election Commission is implemented.

It has also been propounded that privatization is the sole and the conspicuous solution to these boundless public deficiencies. Liberalization is not just the affair of delicensing, it also envisions empowerment of its citizens. The citizens have a lot of tricks up their selves to curb the dishonest practices by ensuring positive action, public activism and participation at the local level. Corruption cannot be turned down forasmuch as it may call for local funds and controlling the flow of money from an external source into a system. Money in the form of speed money or palm greasing or kickback becomes the fuel for corruption. The issue of corruption can be dealt with if India seriously incorporates a body of ombudsman like that in either Sweden or New Zealand.

It is also important to point that the social environment is fundamentally answerable for the unchecked growth of corruption. So apart from setting up an ombudsman, educating the society in terms of moral values will be a necessary step. Implementing a value education course in the early schools can help in reducing the odds of people following corrupt practices when they grow up. These kinds of steps would be a big plus in this direction. For a democracy to survive and work without the din of corruption, as it is meant to, it is imperative for the rule of law to be applied efficiently and effectively. The public figures i.e. the representatives need to act upon the aid and advice of a body like an ombudsman with a high degree of ethical principles. This is not idealistic but a necessity based on ground reality.

The author is a student member of Amity Centre of Happiness.

Biswarup Mukhopadhyay has given important inputs for the article.