Introduction:
Corruption affects not only the economy of the country; it affects the quality of work being done, the development of the nation as a whole and so on. Political corruption in India has reached to a point where proving the existence is also neglected.
In recent years, India has seen an increase in cases of political corruption. Politicians have been charged for various crimes which at times are written off immediately because they belong to a particular political party, or are the supporters of the said party that is in power.
It is true that this exists everywhere but, if we see from the context of India, as a developing country, it is as near as harmful to our state. Political corruption does more harm than anything else. And ignoring such would be less than helpful.
However, in 2019 the “Corruption Perceptions Index” ranked the country 80th place out of 180 countries, reflecting study decline in the perception of corruption among people.[1]
What are “Regulatory Bodies”?
A regulatory body or a regulatory agency is a public authority or a government agency which is accountable for exercising autonomous authority over some area of human activity in a regulatory or supervisory capacity. [2]
This means that the established regulatory bodies set standards in a specific field of activity or operations in the private sector of the economy and then to enforce those standards.
As we know how rampant the political corruption in India is, with the help of the regulatory bodies established, everything would be under check or watched over for any misuses.
Political Corruption in India
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Forms of political corruption may vary but include nepotism, patronage, bribery, cronyism, extortion, graft and embezzlement.
Political corruption is worst in India. The major cause of concern is that corruption is weakening the political body and very harshly damaging the supreme importance of the law governing the society.[3]
Over the time course, the meaning and modes of corruption have changed instantaneously. From the time to where taking extra “under the table” money was considered as a bribe to perform a government duty, to taking fees to perform the same, the definition of political corruption has taken a drastic change.
An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official duties, is done under the colour of law or involves trading in influence.
Effects of Political Corruption in India:
The effects of political corruption in India do not end at one place; instead, keep on increasing day after day. They affect politically, economically, socially, environmentally and so on.
- Effects on politics and administration:
In politics, corruption ruptures the true sense of political power to a lower degrading authority that does no good. This results in unfair elections and administration leading to poor quality of work and trust. Political corruption may lead to a way where unjust will be a part of politics and the only way of getting to higher positions.
- Effect on economy:
Political corruption does no good for the economy or the development of the country, especially to a developing country like India. It impacts the economy in a greater way. It generates economic distortion in the public sector and makes way for illegal political uses of public sector activities, thus by decreasing the value of fair use of public and transferring that to the political gain by a few.
- Environmental effects:
A bribe took during environment project in the name of development and destroying the environment for sure not only damage the environment but also burns out the sustainability. This adversely affects farming and other work forms relying on the natural course of the environment.
Role of Regulatory Bodies
In the wake of numerous scams being unearthed in India over the past decade, enforcement agencies have been proactive in terms of monitoring compliance under relevant anti-corruption and bribery laws and taking actions against violations.
In July 2018, the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act was passed by Parliament, which amended and brought about significant changes to the extent prevention of corruption act 1988. Among other changes the amended act has made bribe giving a specific offence and has introduced a concept of corporate criminal liability for acts of bribery.[4]
Government officials in India are bound to conduct themselves according to the “service rules” applicable to different classes of officials. Service rules prohibit government officials from receiving gifts, hospitality, transport or any other pecuniary advantage that exceeds certain specific thresholds from individuals other than near relatives or friends (with whom such official has no dealings) without the sanction of the government. [5]
Regulatory bodies help in a great way to control political corruption in India:
- Regulatory bodies monitor every political step taken and make sure there is no source of corruption involved in any of the processes of the work being done.
- Regulatory bodies enforce a set of rules and standards that have to be in compliance with officials and their way of doing specific work where public funds or as such are involved
- Regulatory bodies ensure that proper measures are being taken to curb political corruption in every possible way like passing special laws and appointing anti-corruption officers who keep in check with activities.
- Political corruption damages the “proper” administration. Regulatory bodies keep check of such rampant activities, making sure they decrease to as low as possible.
Conclusion
It has become so common to see political corruption in India as a form of normal corruption because of which moral and ethical way of work has depleted. There is no use in denying the existence of political corruption in India. The only way to curb or lessen the act and the impact of political corruption is to accept the existence, making even more strict and relevant provision relating to corruption and such practices.
Political corruption affects the country in a very negative way. No doubt that the anti-corruption laws in India have power over curbing such happenings, we need to keep in mind the time it took the law to go through a proper amendment. Enforcing must be done in a way that no small loophole can get by.
The role of regulatory bodies in preventing political corruption in India is quite extensive. These bodies set requirements and monitor political activities to the extent of recognizing the place of corruption and holding such accountable. Yet we cannot turn a blind eye to the existing political corruption that goes by without any stop signs. In order for that to not happen and to totally put a stop to political corruption more exclusive legislation should come into force that increases the punishment for the givers and takers of the “bribery”. Making no way to the bribe-takers to escape will be the only way for regulatory bodies to ensure the reduction in political corruption.
References:
[1] “Corruption perception index 2019” retrieved on January 23 2020.
[2] B2B “regulatory bodies: establishment, functions and examples” civils daily (September 21 2017)
[3] “Political corruption”. Indian mirror
https://www.indianmirror.com/corruption/political-corruption.html
[4] Rupindar Malik “Anti-corruption and bribery in India” lexology (January 9 2019)
[5]Aditya Vikram Bhatt, Shantanu Singh “bribery and corruption 2020” global legal insights.
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