Justice Nanje Gowda Venkatachala and Justice Nitte Santosh Hegde. Both former judges at the Supreme Court of India. Both Lok Ayuktas of Karnataka, under four different chief ministers; the former cleaning the augean stables loudly in front of TV cameras; the other less visibly but more effectively.
On paper, the two “could have transformed Karnataka and set an example for a cleaner, more honest India, whose official motto, inscribed below the national coat of arms, is ‘Satyameva jayate’ (Truth alone prevails),” writes Samar Halarnkar in the Hindustan Times.
In reality, though:
“For years, successive Congress chief ministers [S.M. Krishna and Dharam Singh], and the Janata Dal (S) of former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda [through son H.D. Kumaraswamy], ran administrations that ensured only deceit and dishonesty prevailed in Karnataka.
“Given its pledges of delivering a righteous Ram rajya, the BJP was the great political hope against corruption. That hope even led Justice Venkatachala to the BJP in February 2009. “You need political will to fight corruption,” Venkatachala had said then. “Such political will is there in the BJP.”
“Instead, the BJP has joined in the plunder of what was once India’s metropolis of the future. Crooked politicians and bureaucrats drive SUVs and own multiple mansions and businesses, as corruption worsens, the city crumbles, and the revelry begins over Justice Hegde’s impending departure.”
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Why were the Congress and JD-S corruption not highlighted when it was done. Not that I am defending the corruption of the BJP. If u want to critcise being even handed instead of harping on one party all the time. Deshpande’s misappropriation of flood relief funds has been given a quite burial in the media. He must be getting ready for the next scam.
Itne nange, aadaat si ho gayi!
Our inefficient system is based on caste loyalties rather than any adherence in the social contract that is our national constitution.
Added to it a lack of social justice which is now starting to effect even the upper middle classes in cities.
Narayana had put up a post sometime back on how people turn to ‘out-of-system’ power centers like criminals and politicians to settle their issues since the agreed on system of justice (courts, police, bureaucracy etc.) barely works.
All of a sudden things seem to have become unbearable to the upper and middle classes who were used to benefiting from the system at the cost of others in villages just a couple of generations ago. The caste based system honed in villages for centuries just does not cut it in the current scenario.
One way to clear this Augean stable is to go the Maoist way and take up arms. But then you have to face the wrath of the army which is one institution in India efficient at doing its job.
And anyway once you clean up the stable, what do you put up in its place? You are dealing with the same thought processes, same culture and same everything. One set of people will just be replaced by another.
Seems like a lot of our corruption problems stem from our own culture of inefficiency, short sightedness, dishonesty and weakness when faced with evil.
Satyameva jayathe is just a slogan in Indian public life. It never applied to us.
Sirsi,
Stop seeing devils where none exist. No Lok Ayukta cheif resigned under JDS and Cong I. No Lok Ayukta cheif took on the governement like Santosh Hegde has. No Lok Ayukta has made such serious charges against the government.
The media has started focusing on this issue, ONLY because Santosh Hegde RESIGNED, making grave allegations.
Ten Commandments on why Lok Ayukta cannot succeed.
Our Law is Supreme. Corruption is the King !!!
Our Politicians are Supreme, because they have a will FOR-Corruption Laws
Our Taxmen are Supreme, because they tax the Middle Class.
Our Bankers are Supreme, because they are worse than the Swiss Bank
Our Industrialists are Supreme, because they loot the farmers in conjunction with Global agencies
Our Passion for Nakedness in Bollywood is known as Art
Our Patriotism is restricted to daily consumption of Rupee currency have Mahatma Gandhi on it.
Our Constitution is rigged and interpreted according to political conveineince.
Our media covers only naked bevies of Bollywood as it portrays our culture.
Secularism,Communism, Socialism and Communalism is codified for conveineince.
BJP has lived up to the expectation as party with a difference.The other to parties accumulated personal wealth by hundreds of crores,the Bjp with thousands of crores.The people who came to power in the name of Ram
not only played the role of Ravan but also defeated Ram(S.N.HEGDE)
Party which considered China as enemy no 1,sold the national wealth to it illeagaly.The should be tried for sedition.
It is of no consequence, who was more corrupt Cong or BJP? The worrying factor is, the honest officers are resigning citing political non-cooperation.
It seems politicians are hell bent on making money. Very pathetic situation.
1 lakh for girls turning 18 for a bribe of 2000!
I am sure the govt officials will be tempted for a Sundar Krishna Urs scenes of misusing girls.
It’s incredibly insane to imagine that govt thinks at 18, rural girls suddenly become powerful to use a lakh on themselves specially when they are malnourished and uneducated with depleted resources – with jungles, mines, electricity and water table at an all time low, law and order being such a mess.
It’s too saddening that masters tend to shy away from taking the lead be it Sachin , Arundhati, Venkatachala, Hegde or Seshan.
On analyzing them I find if they develop a natural fatigue or an internal disaster playing on their minds.
How do we bring them to next level that of a commander!
On the other hand people like Nityananda and ND Tiwari automatically assume leadership and often become successful.
Like many I had believed that Hegde knew what he was getting into. He had enough savvy to know that he would not ever have the power to control the actions of our ministers. His resignation is no sacrifice, but a calculated ploy. His father, a judge of the Supreme Court, was also a consummate politician. God save us from self-righteous guardians of virtue.
Girish Mattennavar should be our next Lokayuktha.
Agree 100% with The Tigers Whiskers the Ultimate. It was not as if Happy Hegde knew the extent of fruitless endeavor. But to only highlight corruption as a novelty to be found only under Yeddi’s pathetic administration beggars belief:) As ole Pulikeshi observed both Hegdes’ have been consummate politicians. In fact I have spent countless hours with some leading High Court advocates who have regaled me with ‘gems’ quoted out of Hedge’s judgements–both Senior and Junior:)
Wonder of wonders, DB agreeing with me 100%.
Why must we prostrate before any person who was a Supreme Court judge simply because he managed to get there? Just how many of those security surrounded black robed rotters measure up to the intelligence and integrity of an M. C. Chagla? Low IQ jurists deciding complex constitutional issues? As a matter of fact, we need a new constitution, however unholy the thought maybe, before the armed forces take over. Has anybody noticed that they are now doing the work of civilian paramilitary forces’ work all over India? This is pretty much what happened in neighbouring Nepal before its monarchy was abolished.