Shivaji Sarkar
It is indeed a peculiar situation. Is the nation suffering from crisis of confidence?
It is obsessed with corruption. Every aspect of national life is being looked at with suspicion.
Everything appears opaque. A fear psychosis is gripping. Pettifogging has either led to putting off decisions or are penalising the innocent, who might have jumped a rule or not.
Two navy officials recently were being prosecuted by their department as they had decided to share the knowledge of bungee jumping learnt during their courses in the US with common enthusiasts.
Sometime back a lawyer was almost thrown out of her profession for modelling. Threat of action was taken against other lawyers for teaching in some law institute.
A sub-inspector in Delhi was suspended as he was learning a foreign language and the police department did not grant him permission.
Not so long ago an IIT professor was suspended for giving suggestions to reform their examination system. The IIT, Kharagpur, had sought the Supreme Court’s permission to take disciplinary action against the professor for causing “irreparable damage to the image and reputation of the institute and for lowering the morale of the teaching faculty as well as the students by alleging mass copying”.
Does a teacher not have the right to suggest reforms? These are only some samples. If a lawyer or a Government employee – male or female – does modeling beyond the working hours, or seeks to become a news reader what is there to object? The lawyers’ regulatory body considered it immoral and also cited the rule that a lawyer could not take any other work as long he remained a registered lawyer.
Many other organisations and professional bodies have similar quixotic rules. If a lawyer or journalist teaches in a professional institute, he only enriches the trainees with his experience and knowledge. A teacher without practical knowledge of a profession may not impart many aspects of the profession. It is beyond anybody’s perception, how one is committing a “crime”.
The central administrative tribunal (CAT ) is facing many such frivolous cases that damage the career, professional and personal lives of many. Sadly enough nobody in the government has taken a step to stop it. The rules are kept vague with immense discretionary powers to keep the staff and officers in awe. It does not help anyone and damages not only the institutions, departments and their working atmosphere. Of course, on the “positive” the bosses have one satisfaction. It perpetuates the culture of sycophancy. The punishment is usually for those who are not sycophants and straightforward persons. It is plaguing all – the defence, scientific and all other important institutions and organisations.
The nation needs to act and review all such frivolous rules.
If these rules are transparent and intimidation is not the rule, the institutions like CAT and other administrative tribunals would become redundant.
At least they would have far fewer cases than they have to grapple with now.
That has an economic cost as well. Each such frivolity leads to enormous legal actions and expenses by all, the victims and the Government. In other words, government is paying for harassment and intimidation for petty jealousies and rivalries in such organisations. Government is spending thousands of crore in unnecessary and unwanted litigations.
The Government departments thrive on other whimsical actions. In many departments, a promotion that is due is not given. The reason often is to deny a colleague what is due to him because of envy. Often it is heard, “I did not get promotion at such a young age, why should this boy get it”.
Of late, some Government organisations have taken to an ingenious method to put promotions off for years.
After going through the process of departmental proceedings for promotions, interviews et al, they refer the final panel to the vigilance for an enquiry.
It is common knowledge anything that is referred to the vigilance is put off for an indefinite period.
It leads to demoralisation of the young talented staff, which starts looking for avenues outside government.
In the process, the Government is left with substandard stuff. It also has a significant cost. The unnecessary vigilance processes have enormous expenses, causes delay and avoidable litigation.
The nation has not been able to stop corruption at the highest level, but it has developed an expertise to use it to harass the poor workers and talented staff, scientists and professionals.
Let the Government function with transparency and let staff give their best without fear. This would make a beginning for a better functioning Government. It would save the Government of thousands of crore of rupees wasted by all departments to “teach” someone not “falling in line”.
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