PIL in SC to help improve India's ranking on Corruption Perception Index

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a direction to the Centre, states and union territories to set up expert committees to suggest steps for improving India's "pathetic" ranking on the global Corruption Perception Index.

India has been ranked at the 80th position among 180 countries and territories in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) prepared by Transparency International. It is based on perceived levels of public sector corruption in these countries, according to experts and business people.

The public interest litigation filed by BJP leader and advocateAshwini Upadhyay sought the constitution of expert committees to examine good practices of the countries, ranked among the top 20 in the Corruption Perception Index, and take steps to weed out bribery, black money generation, etc.

Besides all states and the UTs, Upadhyay, in his PIL filed through lawyer Ashwani Kumar Dubey, has made the Law Commission of India and the ministries of Home Affairs and Law and Justice as parties.

The plea has also sought a direction to theLaw Commission to suggest steps to remove the menace of corruption, black money generation and 'benami' transaction, and improve India's ranking in Corruption Perception Index.

The injury caused to people is extremely large because corruption is an insidious plague, having a wide range of corrosive effects on the country.

It undermines democracy and rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorts markets, erodes the quality of life and allows organised crime like separatism, terrorism, naxalism, radicalism, gambling, smuggling, kidnapping, money laundering and extortion and other threats to human security to flourish, the plea said.

It said corruption hurts the poor disproportionately by diverting funds intended for development, undermines the government's ability to provide basic services, seeds inequality and injustice and discourages foreign aids & investment.

The petition said that due to massive corruption, even after 73 years of independence, 50 per cent population is in distress and facing hardships in livelihood.

The PIL contended that the rule of law guaranteed under the Constitution can't be secured without curbing corruption but the Centre and the states are "not taking appropriate steps" to weed-out the menace.

India's poor ranking in Corruption Perception Index confirms the Centre and states' poor performance on many fronts viz. absence of corruption, violation of fundamental rights, lack of transparency, serious threat public order and security, pathetic regulatory enforcement and ineffective civil and criminal justice system, the plea said.