Anna has aroused a sleeping nation: Kolkata Lokayukta

‘Anna has aroused a sleeping nation which till date used to think that only casting a vote every five years is a symbol of democracy. Lokpal and Lokayaukta are the only institutions which can prevent corruption and malpractices as they are the watchdogs of society. That’s why politicians are afraid of a strong Lokpal,’ says, Kolkata Lokayukta Samaresh Bandopadhyay, backing Hazare.

Civilians are the sentinel of society and democracy, Bandopadhyay said.

‘Those who are maligning civil society and Anna Hazare must have forgotten Mahatma Gandhi’s satyagraha. These politicians have become politically bankrupt,’ the 70-year-old retired judge said.

He also believes that a Lokpal bill is ‘useless’ without the prime minister coming under its ambit.

West Bengal’s first and only Lokayukta Samaresh Bandopadhyay, who demitted office in 2009, feels an ombudsman alone can check corruption by acting as the ‘watchdog’ of society. But he says political interference was a hindrance during his tenure.

‘Without strong political will and determination, neither a strong Lokpal nor a strong Lokayukta can ever come into being. The state Lokayukta suffered for lack of strong political will of the ruling class,’ Bandopadhyay said.

He was appointed the state’s Lokayukta Feb 1, 2006, and completed his tenure Feb 16, 2009. Though on paper Bandopadhyay had a three-year term, he could work only for about one and a half years as he had to wait for the allotment of an office till July 17, 2007.

‘I rate my term in a mixed way. I have done the part I could have done. But political and bureaucratic influence didn’t allow me to work properly on various occasions,’ he said.

He said the number of cases registered at the Lokayukta’s office increased every year during his stint.

Former Calcutta High Court judge Bandopadhyay’s comments come against the backdrop of a highly popular movement led by social activist Anna Hazare, who went on a 12-day hunger strike in New Delhi, forcing the union government to consider the demand for a stronger anti-corruption Lokpal bill.

During his tenure as the Lokayukta, Bandopadhyay resolved over 200 cases.

The West Bengal Lokayukta Act, 2003, provides a three-year term for the ombudsman, compared to a five- or six-year tenure for Lokayuktas in other states.When asked about the likelihood of the Lokpal himself becoming corrupt, Bandopadhyay asked if people ask the party in power for a guarantee of not becoming corrupt.

‘Do we ask for a guarantee or stop a political party from forming a government after it achieves majority in polls by citing that it can be corrupt as it has absolute majority?’ he asked.

Bandopadhyay criticised the previous Left Front government.

‘The Left Front initially had the will for a strong Lokayukta; that’s why they created the body. But when complaints started coming against a powerful minister, they lacked the will. I was not provided the needed infrastructure and the manpower,’ said Bandopadhyay.

He regretted the omission of the entire bureaucracy from the purview of state ombudsman in the act. A strong Lokayukta in the state must have jurisdiction over the bureaucracy, Bandopadhyay said.

Bandopadhyay felt that an amendment to the Lokayukta Act, making it mandatory for the ombudsman to take the state government’s nod before initiating a probe against an accused official, was a deadly blow to the office.

‘If the state wants a strong Lokayukta it should have the political will, remove all political and bureaucratic influence, and repeal the amendment to the act,’ he said.

Had he been allowed to hold camp courts during the initial days of tribal upsurge in West Midnapore’s Lalgarh, history would have been different, Bandopadhyay lamented. It is the same area that became a hotbed of Maoist activity after 2008, leading to a lot of bloodshed.

‘I was not allowed to hold camp courts. Had I been allowed to lend an ear to their grievances, as they were ready to come to me to uphold their complaints, things would not have deteriorated to this extent,’ he said.