Journalism of Courage
the anti-corruption campaign of the Madhya Pradesh lokayukta is one of the factors that helped project a clean image for CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. MP is the only state besides Karnataka where the lokayukta has police powers of raid and arrest.
From 2007 to March this year,the lokayukta registered over 1,200 cases,508 of which trapped government officials and led to cash seizures worth Rs 55.98 lakh,sources in the lokayuktas office said. Another Rs 257.92 crore was seized in other cases.
The Indian Express had filed applications under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking the details of action taken against allegedly corrupt officials and the cases filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act from lokayukta offices in seven states UP,Bihar,Jharkhand,Haryana,Delhi,Rajasthan and MP.
Most states including Madhya Pradesh replied either that they did not have the power to raid/trap officials,or that they were exempt from the purview of the Act. Sources in the MP lokayuktas office,however,provided details of cases since 2007.
We have police under us,we have conducted raids,registered cases and filed challans in courts in corruption cases. The state government provides us with staff and police,but they are accountable to us, Justice (retd) P P Naolekar,MP lokayukta,said.
Asked if he felt the lokayuktas actions bolstered the governments anti-corruption image,or that some credit for Chouhans victory should go to him as well,Naolekar said,That may be your assessment. All that I can say is that the state government did not create hindrances in our work and co-operated with us fully.
The unrelenting attack on corruption,on a scale not seen elsewhere,does seem to have borne fruit for the BJP. The corruption cases registered by the MP lokayukta have targeted departments such as police,revenue,forests,panchayats,health,PWD,agriculture,industries,food,tribal welfare,registrations,cooperatives and transport all of which have direct dealings with the lives and concerns of ordinary citizens.
Government employees raided in cases initiated by the lokayukta ranged from patwari (lowest rank in the revenue department) to the CM himself and included peons,inspectors,superintendents,executive engineers,head constables,SDOs,treasury officers,tehsildars,finance officers,councillors,accountants,medical officers,clerks,sales tax officers,and several others.
A closure report was eventually filed in a case registered against the CM in 2007 for alleged misconduct.
