Our print and electronic media regularly saturate us with news about a rather well-known fugitive and how he manages to keep himself outside the grasp of our police.  Everyone - including his family, his ‘fans’ and supporters and even friends from the media - seems to know where he is hiding.  Except, of course, the law enforcement agencies.  He is seen everywhere.  But then he is found nowhere.   He manages to meet people publicly, conduct business openly and even gets directly in touch with VIPs and VVIPs.

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s suggestion to recruit the Civil Servants after 10+2 (Intermediate) has generated an interesting debate on the various possibilities of recruiting civil servants. The candidates selected after the usual entrance exams will be put in a national academy and after completing three years will get a graduate degree. The meritorious students among them will then go for a service-oriented course in the academy for two years. On successful completion of which, the candidate will get an MBA degree and would be inducted in the services.

dir="ltr">The recent sting operation in Gujarat by Zee TV network exposing corruption in subordinate judiciary has come not a day too soon. For long many knew of corruption in the most hallowed of our institutions, the judiciary, and many more suspected. Chief Justice Bharuchha had the courage to talk about it openly during his tenure. But nothing much was done about it. And many concerned citizens maintained a discreet silence for fear of undermining the credibility and independence of the one organ of state which is the sentinel of our liberties.

The year 2004 started with a magistrate in Ahmedabad issuing warrants against the President of India and Chief Justice of India - for a price of only 40,000 rupees.  The entire nation saw the videotapes.  Then, in February, newspapers reported that the buildings of the Bombay High Court, the Gateway of India along with the famous Taj Mahal Hotel were up for sale.  Apparently, two metropolitan magistrates and a notary in Mumbai signed affidavits “authorising the ownership” and “enabling their sale” by “Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi” and “Khan Abdul Gafar Khan”!   Back in 1994, a print journalis

The acquittal of the accused in the notorious Best Bakery case has once again exposed the weakness of our criminal justice system.  Swaminathan Aiyar in these columns made a strong plea for stringent action against perjury in order to restore the sanctity of the judicial process.