Corruption strikes at the root of good governance. It is an impediment to faster growth. It dilutes, if not negates, the efforts at social inclusion. It becomes the cause of many more evils like rise in prices, adulteration, failure of law and order, absence of justice, etc. India is one of the countries most afflicted by corruption. People are frustrated and want this menace to be beaten away with stringent measures.
Corruption has been there in India since the Vedic times. There are stories in Puranas how a particular government servant was caught asking for a bribe and how the king whipped him. Indians are generally God-fearing people and remain law abiding when there is the fear of law. They indulge in corruption when they find that their neighbour is guilty of corruption and is not being punished or the punishment is less than the gain. The minute they find that the punishment for corruption is fast and severe, their desire to use unfair and illegal means for personal gain will evaporate.
There are different ways to eradicate corruption, depending upon the different forms of government like monarchy, socialism, communism, democracy, and republic. We have selected democracy as the form of government in our country. Therefore, we have to decide the ways and means to remove corruption through democratic means.
Every form of government does not suit a nation as the traditions, customs, culture and habits of different races and societies differ. A particular form of government may be good for a particular class of people, but it may not prove good for others. Corruption will spoil any form of government. Moreover, there are different ways to remove corruption for different forms of government. Every method may not suit every form of government. For example, in China and Russia millions of people were killed before communism became a success. In some cases the people were hanged from the nearest lamppost. In other cases only the threat of being shot worked and stringent laws were framed to eradicate or control corruption. So we can also make strict laws and let the courts punish the guilty, or we can appoint a Lokpal with draconian powers to prosecute and punish the corrupt.
The book throws light on different aspects of corruption, scams and scandals in India, corruption in other countries, the problem of black money, measures to control corruptions, including the Jan Lokpal bill, and the recent anti-corruption campaign in India. The aim of this book is to make the readers aware, better informed and educated about various forms of corruption, anti-corruption laws and how corruption can be eradicated or controlled in our society.
J.P. Mittal is a retired Joint Director from Indian Defence Estates Service. He has compiled two volumes of the Cantonment Laws (from 1800 AD onwards till date), which are being used as a reference book in the military and by the advocates and the judges of all courts in India. His “Discovery of Lanka of Ravana in Orissa” has been published in archaeological magazine Panchtantra. He has compiled the History of Ancient India from Brahma (7300 BC) to Harshvardhan (637 AD) beginning from Vedic Yuga to Kaliyuga, chronologically, without any gap, along with 150 Questions and Answers to clarify the misgivings, exaggerations and miracles.
