Scanning Telgi146;s brain

There is more than a touch of the bizarre, both in the recent revelations attributed to the alleged master mind of the multi-crore stamp paper scam, Abdul Karim Telgi, and the methods employed in gleaning them. 8220;Truth serum8221; 8212; or the intravenous injection of sodium pentathol 8212; and P-30 brain mapping tests seem to belong more in the realm of science fiction and detective yarns than to the heat and dust of the country8217;s criminal justice system. Yet the revelations that have emerged so far 8212; although they cannot by any means be given the stamp of authenticity at this stage 8212; demand redoubled efforts to get to the truth since they involve extremely senior functionaries: former Mumbai Commissioner R.S. Sharma, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, of the same state.

Telgi has, of course, not helped matters by promptly declaring these revelations to be 8220;fabricated8221;. But whatever the truth, there is no denying that the stamp paper scam is proof of the facile manner in which the unscrupulous can exploit legal loopholes, take advantage of vulnerabilities in the security regime, leverage political influence and create untold wealth for themselves. Vilasrao Deshmukh does not, for instance, deny that he had 8220;forwarded8221; Telgi8217;s application for securing a stamp vending licence in 1994, apparently at the behest of another dubious character called Anil Gote, who is currently incarcerated. Note how easy it is to penetrate and exploit the system, note the easy trading of favours between those in positions of power. Deshmukh was the state8217;s revenue minister at that point but obviously his office did not invest him with the required sense of responsibility. The least he should have done was to have got the man investigated thoroughly before granting him that crucial licence. Today Deshmukh claims he did what he did in 8220;good faith8221;. This is plain ludicrous. No self-respecting system of governance can run on 8220;good faith8221;.

We then owe it to ourselves to get to the bottom of this monstrous fraud which has seriously undermined the security and credibility of the nation8217;s financial transactions. Given the power and influence of those involved, every effort must be made to ensure that the investigations are allowed to run their course and the guilty made to pay for their crimes. We would also need to learn the right lessons from the scam and ensure that the system is fortified against the agency of evil geniuses like Abdul Karim Telgi, a man who knew just how to play the game.