Corruption

Legislations against Corruption

Course: Business, Government and Society

Executive Summary

Corruption, as the word suggests, is the deviation from the normal that damages. It is something which happens when processes and people do not follow what is publicly acceptable and recognized for private benefit. It happens when people are driven by a concern for their own profit and not by the ideas or principles that govern public life.

India has a large polity and economy. Millions of people cooperate and compete with each other in order to create, consume and distribute wealth to the ends that they see fit. Such a large system needs an adequate system of check and balances in order to ensure that the participants follow the rules and principles accepted by consensus. One such system of checks is the anti-corruptions laws.

The anti-corruption framework in India constitutes of six different legislations, each designed to address a different form and feature of corruption. These are Indian Penal Code 1860, Prevention of corruption Act 1988, Prevention of money laundering Act 2002, Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta and Uplokayukta Act 1983, Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003 and Right to Information Act of 2005.

Indian Penal Code addresses specific instances of corruption. Prevention of Corruption Act brought the laws under IPC in one umbrella and looks into corruption by public servants. Prevention of Money Laundring Act seeks to control the flow of illegally earned money, Lokayukta Acts were introduced to control corruption in high public offices, Central Vigilance Commission Act set up strong vigilance departments and Right to Information Act seeks to control corruption by providing transparency in the public offices and activities of government.

From a study of these laws it is evident that the piecemeal manner of introduction of anti-corruption laws has been a weakness of the system. These laws were brought into being at different points of time responding to...