It is unfortunate that the government’s lack of commitment and the Opposition’s indifference have reduced a landmark legislation like the Lokpal law into a farcical exercise. That the anti-corruption watchdog remains in a state of inertness even six years after the law’s enactment is an indictment of India’s political culture. A mere absence of corruption is not enough to satisfy public perception about the rulers’ integrity; there has to be an independent authority that can stamp the seal of probity on the government’s functioning through fearless investigation. When a de jure Lokpal is in place, there is no reason the judiciary, groaning under the weight of a huge backlog, should continue to act as the de facto ombudsman. Acting only under the compulsion of a judicial diktat doesn’t enhance the government’s image. It must operationalise the office of the Lokpal (Op-Ed page, “Six years on, Lokpal is a non-starter,” Feb. 12).
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
