On Saturday, April 12, 2025, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) posted a statement on social networking site Facebook saying said it have produced a charge-sheet against 22 persons for withdrawal of fraudulent payments by way of making insertions and tampering with the revenue records in Budgam. Interestingly, the FIR about the case was registered in 2009 and it took the Bureau almost 25 years to produce a charge-sheet against the people responsible and several of the government officials involved have already retired from the service and even one of the beneficiary has already passed away. It reminds one of a famous couplet of famed Urdu poet, Mirza Ghalib:
Hum Ne Mana Ki Tagaful Na Karo Ge Lekin,
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Koun Jeeta Hai Tere Zulf Ke Sar Hone Tak.
“We know, you will not delay the things by intention, but these will get delayed and how many of us will be surviving then,” roughly translated.
Corruption is the menace that hampers the progress and development of any society in the world. When the corrupt practices become a normal, the society as a whole is destined to fail economically and rot morally. Deserving get neglected and those not deserving are benefitted thus disturbing the equilibrium of the society. Corruption breeds injustice and injustice triggers unrest which in no way is good for any healthy society. This menace, unfortunately is wide-spread all over the country, Jammu and Kashmir being no exception.
The UT administration has been, time and again, asserting that it has waged a full-fledged war against corruption but there will always remain some ifs and buts which the administration needs to take care of. Corruption has all along been rampant in Jammu and Kashmir, so rampant that unfortunately it has, by and large been accepted by the populace as something inevitable. This acceptance has, in a way, provided a social sanctity to this menace. The situation has reached a stage where the most corrupt are the most respected ones.
It feels good to read that the UT administration is committed to curb the menace but it goes without saying that the task is not so easy. The main organization that deals with the menace – Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) – needs to be strengthened. The administration should identify the upright and honest officials with integrity to run this organization. The administration needs to have ample circles of checks and balances to ensure the organization that is assigned to fight corruption, doesn’t have any scope for any corrupt practices within. The above mentioned case indicates how non-seriously the charges of corruption are being taken by the concerned agencies. Had it not been sow, why the agency should take more than two decades to file the charge sheet.
That said, the society, as a whole, should raise its voice against corruption in public life and offices. Like drug abuse, corruption too is eating up the very vitals of our society. Thus it is the responsibility of the society to raise voice against this menace. The religious and social leaders have to take lead in this fight.
