‘Corruption more dangerous than cancer': Justice B Veerappa
Here are the excerpts:
Who do you think the corrupt are — people or elected representatives?
Corruption has prevailed since pre-Independence. Society as a whole is full of corruption, except for a few.
Why is corruption so rampant?
There are good laws like the Prevention of Corruption Act, but the people appointed do not implement them properly.
What makes people in power corrupt?
Position and possession. With selfish agendas, everybody is fighting for position and wealth. Corruption is more dangerous than cancer. Cancer can be cured, but not corruption.
What is the role of the Lokayukta institution as a whole?
In all, about 25,000 cases are pending before the institution. Of them, nearly 8,000 are false. These pose the biggest problem, causing colossal waste of time and manpower. Many such complaints are being filed to achieve a selfish agenda. By the time we find out, three years would have been lost as we have to follow all the procedures to dispose them of, including issuing notices to the concerned, calling for explanation and scrutiny. People should resist filing such complaints and allow us to give quality time to genuine complaints. The more we visit the districts, the more complaints we receive. But the manpower is not enough to take up these complaints. The institution is facing a severe shortage of staff and vehicles. We write often to the authorities, but no government is interested in strengthening the institution.
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