[This article was originally published on September 17, 1999 in the leading financial daily, Financial Express. See the link below.]
Corruption by politicians holding high posts such as ministers, MPs, MLAs is a common knowledge, figuring in media and other fora on regular basis. Several cases relating to corruption or possession of disproportionate assets have been registered recently against politicians holding high posts.
Who has not heard of hawala and Bofors today? Cases of disproportionate assets have been registered against former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar etc. Even a former Prime Minister is involved in a case of corruption of offering bribes to some MPs. The list is unending. And yet, there definitely are innumerable other cases of corruption by politicians which could never see the light of the day.
MPs and MLAs have now been confirmed to be public servants in the recent judgment of the Supreme Court in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha case, implying that they are amenable to the offences defined in the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
One major offence defined in this Act relates to the possession of assets by a public servant which are disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Read the full article in Financial Express.
