Will India get a whistle-blower law?

New Delhi: Death has made Satyedra Dubey larger than life. The young IIT engineer with the National Highways Authority of India was found dead in Bihar in November, 2003 after he had complained about corruption in highway construction in a confidential letter to the Prime Minister's Office.

Two years later, IIM graduate Manjunath was murdered for trying to stop fuel adulteration. He worked for Indian Oil Corporation and was trying to clean up the system in Uttar Pradesh. Someone didn't like what he was doing.

The furore had woken up politicians. It was the NDA Government, which had first talked of bringing a law to protect whistle-blowers. But till date it is only the Central Vigilance Commission, which accepts complaints.

Now, the Administrative Reforms Commission, headed by Veerappa Moily has recommended a law to protect whistle-blowers. In fact, the commission says a law to protect the vulnerable whistle-blower is a must.

"To reduce the scope of corruption and encourage honest public servants, it is necessary to immediately provide protection to whistle-blowers on the lines proposed by the commission," ARC chairman Veerappa Moily noted in the report.

But is a law enough? Not many believe such a law will really have the teeth and, more importantly, get the backing from people who matter.

"It's about political will. If there is a political will, it can succeed. If there is no political will, they will put the weakest bureaucrat they can find or the most corrupt bureaucrat to head these organisations, and it will fail," Arvind Kejriwal, the right to information activist, says.

Already, those speaking on behalf of the government don't promise any immediate action. "The law is necessary. We are very committed. We would like to do it soon. But obviously, I can't give a time-limit or deadline for this." This is what Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had to say when he was asked about a possible time frame for enacting such a law.

With no commitments forthcoming from the politicians, the parents of the victims don't really expect much.

"It's a matter of political will. Till the time the political will is there and as long as they lack the determination to bring in such a legislation, this law will never become a reality," Bageshwari Dubey, father Satyedra Dubey, feels.

Manjunath's father Shanmugam, too, is not very hopeful. "I don't know how much is it going to be helpful," he says. Shanmugam, however, insists that such a law should be there. "They should protect," he says.

There are many who believe Western models of laws to protect the whistle-blower can't be copied, because the Indian situation is unique and beset with challenges. But with no consensus or commitment from the government forthcoming, the voices of the nation's conscience remain vulnerable to abuse.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)

#Administrative Reforms Commission #Veerappa Moily #Central Vigilance Commission #whistle-blower law #Manjunath #Satyedra Dubey