The Cell for Research in International Law at the National Law Institute University, Bhopal in collaboration with Transparency International, India and Prayatna, an NGO working in the field of the Right to Information organised a panel discussion on “Fighting Corruption and Promoting Governance” on Saturday, 31st July,2010.
The panellists were distinguished personalities like Shri S.C. Tripathi, the former DGP of Madhya Pradesh; Shri K.S.Sharma, the former Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh; Dr P.Rajagopal, Chairperson; Ms Anupama Jha from Transparency International, India and Mr Ajay Dubey, Secretary, Prayatna. The panellists expressed that greed and maladministration were the root causes of corruption. They opined that corruption is not taken seriously in India. This was observed in light of the corruption in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, 2010 in New Delhi. It was observed that the laws and the procedures prescribed by them are archaic. A drastic change in the Indian legal system was suggested by the panel. Dr P. Rajagopal discussed the citizen charter and its objective of setting up a responsible government. Mr Ajay Dubey, a well known RTI activist explained the role of RTI Act in fighting corruption. Procedure to file an application under the RTI act was also discussed by him. Mr. Ravindra Jain, the editor of Raj Express enlightened the audience about corruption in public life. By giving examples from real life, he not only had the audiences in splits but also conveyed a very strong message.
Post- lunch, a documentary on corruption in the police department written and directed by Mr. Upendra Verma, himself a former member of the police was screened. Lastly, the most awaited question and answer round took place where students and teachers asked intriguing questions to the panellists resulting in an interactive session. The panellists emphasized that until there is a change in the very nature and behaviour of people at an individual level, rich and poor, young and old alike; it was very unlikely that the malaise of corruption can be nipped into the bud.
On the whole, the discussion was well attended and it turned out to be an informative experience for one and all. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all the esteemed panellists who spared their valuable time for this event. Not to forget our very own, Dr. Raka Arya, faculty in-charge of CRIL for her constant and unending support which led the event to be a success. We are looking forward for such discussions in the future.
THE CRIL TEAM
