We are the world's biggest democracy and I think among all democratic nations we are undoubtedly the most corrupt. Today, thanks to the efforts of one committed ordinary man, the mood of the entire nation is upbeat and expectant that we are on the verge of a dramatic change of face. But in my opinion all this optimism seems a little out of place as I have a feeling that despite his sincerity, Anna Hazare's efforts, even if fully successful in getting a Lokpal Bill of his liking passed by our Parliament, will not weed out corruption in our country to a significant extent, let alone completely.

I say this because unless we also do a complete overhaul of our laws and legal system no bill to end corruption can do its job alone. This is the somewhat bitter pill that we should all be prepared to swallow before expecting some significant good to come out of the new bill. What Anna Hazare is pressing for is to pass a bill that among other things makes it easy for the common man to file cases against the high and mighty of the land without the need for prior approval from higher functionaries like the President or the State governors. But just being in a position to file cases easily is not going to ensure easy conviction of the accused in our law courts under the legal system that is in place.

In the present scenario, our laws are only for the few who are either really upright or too timid to try anything illegal. For the rest who know its frailties and who care two hoots for our legal system or their own reputations they have nothing to fear. Under our present legal system it is easily possible for a determined legal expert to stall the legal process when it is almost close to the judgment date by seeking refuge under tiny technical loopholes like an affidavit not having been filed in a particular form or format.

Quite often we see legal proceedings in sensational cases coming to a complete standstill just before the judgment is delivered when a legal luminary throws the trump card saying that the case falls outside the jurisdiction of that particular court. Judgments delivered by our consumer courts especially against guilty parties outside the home State become almost useless simply because many of them have to be executed only by the order of another local court which may be beyond the financial or logistic reach of the complainant.

I have myself been a victim of both such situations although I got a very prompt and fair judgment in my favour in a case I had filed against a leading automobile manufacturer of the country. Powerful politicians too are easily able to exert pressure on investigating agencies and thwart or distort cases against them. It is a shame that our elite civil service comprising of highly qualified and competent officials is forced by tradition to remain subservient to their almost illiterate political bosses.

Unless our IAS and IPS officers are given adequate freedom and powers to perform their duties without the fear of unjust repercussions we can never hope for a good and fair administration. Ministers should not be allowed to interfere in routine administrative matters to help or please their supporters in the larger interest of ensuring good governance.

It is reported that nearly thirty percent of our elected representatives in our Parliament have criminal cases pending against them. But still our Election Commission which roars loudly from time to time just before our elections has not been successful in preventing them from contesting elections year after year. It is a well - known fact that quite a few of our Governors have demitted office in disgrace while two of our high ranking judges are right now facing impeachment for acts of commission and omission that are clearly unworthy of the high office that they hold. More than two of our former Prime Ministers and at least a dozen Chief Ministers in our country have been accused of having amassed ill gotten wealth.

But while the cases against them languish in courts due to lack of evidence they continue to remain not only free but also manage to rule by having appointed shadow surrogates. Most of the cases against them which seemed watertight have never reached their logical ends resulting in their convictions. Almost with no exception, every person who manages to become a Minister in our country leaves his or her position a thousand times richer than what he or she was while taking the oath of office.

While we curse the bribe taking that goes on unchecked we never stop giving bribes as a convenient shortcut to bypass legal avenues that seem cumbersome. It is this acceptance of corruption by citizens as a necessary evil which helps it to thrive unchecked. Although bribe taking and bribe giving are both liable to attract penalties we never see any bribe givers getting convicted. And, among the bribe takers only the small fry like the petty clerks and office assistants are convicted while all the big fish who net crores in bribes continue to swim free in the ocean of ill-gotten prosperity.

Conviction rates in our country are abysmally low and penalties so trivial and so grossly disproportionate to the gravity of crimes that they simply fail to deter wrongdoing. Even when it is very rarely awarded the actual execution of the death penalty is such a long drawn out affair although the guilt and complicity of the accused is proved beyond doubt. Once a politician gets elected the public never question his or her wrong actions whatsoever although everyone is aware of them.

Recently when the KSRTC refused to waive of the cost of providing buses to transport devotees to the Chamundi Hill on Ashada Fridays, our district in-charge Minister in a fit of anger announced that he would foot the bill from his own pocket. But not a single citizen questioned where he would get this huge sum of money from.

I would like to give another example of how we tolerate insulting and humiliating behaviour from our politicians who are elected to their posts only with the help of our votes. Just two days ago on Wednesday morning around 9 am I found that there was a flurry of frenzied activity by our Traffic Constables along the KRS road. They were rudely asking the drivers of all vehicles parked on the roadside to immediately move them away saying that our new Chief Minister was on his way to offer “Bagina” at the KRS dam.

I could not understand how vehicles parked on the opposite side of the two lane road would hamper the movement of the CM's convoy or insult his dignity as they too were forcibly removed. Very soon all traffic was completely stopped at the KRS road and ring road junction although there was no sign of the VIP. After people who comprised students of the few colleges on that road and employees of the many factories who had to punch their cards before the stroke of nine had cursed and waited for more than twenty minutes the CM's motorcade arrived.

And, what a motorcade it was. Had Barack Obama seen this it would have left him wringing his hands with a massive inferiority complex. I could count not less than fifty five government vehicles leaving aside those of the ubiquitous fans and supporters. I wondered why our leaders who preach austerity have to waste so much public money just to make themselves feel important. If our leaders are corrupt we ourselves are to be blamed. It is truly said that in a democracy people get the government they deserve since it is they who elect the leaders.

Unless we citizens start electing good people to form our governments and unless we start questioning the actions of our elected representatives corruption can never be eliminated. If millions of citizens who are the most powerful components of a democracy are willing look away from their misdeeds and kiss the ground on which their elected representatives walk, what can one Anna Hazare do to help them?

Is it not tragic that while this old man was forced to continue his fast to end corruption in a cell of the infamous Tihar jail, the very same people who were guilty of it were feasting on home cooked delicacies in the adjoining cells?