Legal

‘Greed’ is root cause of ‘Corruption’ : Supreme Court Of India

New Delhi, 03 March : The Supreme Court has made a statement that corruption has become an all-encompassing problem in every aspect of life and is no longer limited to government activities.
The court noted that corruption has become a way of life for some individuals due to their insatiable greed for wealth. The bench, comprising of Justices S. Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta, stated that corruption is hindering the country’s progress towards achieving social justice and equal distribution of wealth, as promised by the Constitution’s preamble. The success of corrupt individuals in evading the law enforcement agencies has emboldened them to believe that rules and regulations do not apply to them, leading to a culture of hubris. The court compared corruption to cancer and warned that it is a major hurdle in achieving progress.

The Supreme Court has expressed concerns about the widespread prevalence of corruption in all aspects of life in India, noting that it is not limited to the activities of governance. The court said that the unsatiated greed for wealth has allowed corruption to spread like cancer, eroding the fear of being caught among those who engage in corrupt activities. The court also remarked that despite the preambular promise of the Constitution to secure social justice and achieve equal distribution of wealth, corruption remains a prominent hurdle to achieving this goal.

The court made these observations while setting aside an order of the Chhattisgarh High Court that had quashed an FIR against a former principal secretary and his wife for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets. The Supreme Court said that it is a matter of disgrace for the entire community that there is a decline in the pursuit of lofty ideals and degradation of moral values in society.

The Supreme Court pointed out that the root of corruption can be traced back to “greed”, which is considered one of the seven sins in Hinduism. Despite appropriate legislation being in place to prevent corruption and imprisonment of up to ten years being stipulated as maximum punishment, the court said that curbing corruption is still elusive and unthinkable in the present times.

The court emphasized that it is the duty of the Constitutional Courts to show zero tolerance towards corruption and punish the perpetrators of the crime while also protecting innocent public servants who may get caught in the web of deceit created by those with ulterior motives and vested interests.

The case in question was registered in February 2020 against the Singhs under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. The complaint was filed by Uchit Sharma, who claims to be an RTI activist based in Raipur.

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