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Journalism of Courage
The transfers of income-tax officials by the Ministry of Finance just as the assessment of Jayalalitha8217;s income-tax liabilities approaches completion is simply too much of a coincidence. Even more of a coincidence is the alleged hand in them of the AIADMK8217;s man in this ministry without so much as a nod in the direction of the Union Finance Minister or even the Revenue Secretary. What credibility to attach to Minister of State R.K. Kumar8217;s statement that the transfers are part of a 8220;routine annual exercise8221; and that they are for the 8220;good of the system8221;? Since when have transfers on this scale in a hush-hush, overnight operation been an annual exercise? And perhaps the minister would care to explain how they are for the good of the 8220;system8221;, unless in a touching display of faith in his leader he equates her good with the good of the system? Politicians are supposed to be accountable for their actions, and these do not become 8220;good8221; simply because they happen to think or say so.
The truth is not fullyout in the matter but the circumstantial evidence against bona fide motivation in this action is so strong that it certainly merits a thorough investigation. The known facts are quite overwhelming. Jayalalitha8217;s assessment apart, the transfers have occurred in the wake of a high-court notice to the ministry on the basis of a public-interest litigation which fears exactly that such transfers may occur. Most of the officials who have been transferred were nowhere near completing their tenure as specified in the rule book. Is it too much to infer that the action might have been a step to preempt a move by the court to forbid such transfers before the assessment was complete? Maybe. But the onus is now on Kumar to prove that this is so. He will have to do better than wash his hands of the matter by imperiously declaring that what has happened is good, that he is 8220;not concerned8221; about the transfers or that they are the work of junior officials.
