Based on his experiences during his years of service in the Central Bureau of Investigation and the state CID, N.K. Singh gives an eye-witness account of the murkier side of the politics of crime and corruption in post-independence India. The Constitution of India which came into force in 1950, declared India a republic, establishing a Parliamentary form of Democracy with equal rights to all and equal protection under the law irrespective of caste, creed or sex. Post-independence, the first few polls went off peacefully on the basis of adult franchise. Alongside, welfare measures accelerated the growth of the economy and Democracy seemed well on its way towards the establishment of an egalitarian society. However, this was not to last. The initial hopes and promises gave way to despondency, cynicism and widespread frustration. The author makes no bones about the fact that criminalization of politics and corruption in high places are responsible for the deplorable conditions prevalent in the country today. The book details some of the scandals like the Pondicherry Licence scandal, Bofors, the Hawala scandal, the Fodder scam and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha case that have rocked the nation in recent years. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan had warned the nation on the eve of independence on 14 August 1947, when he said, "we will face evil days.. (and) ‘power’ will outstrip ability unless we destroy corruption in high places." The book tells us how we ignored his warning and that of Mahatma Gandhi’s who had earlier said that the ‘cancer’ of corruption ‘if not checked would destroy everything. The book gives the historical background of the growth of corruption. The author analyses without any bias how corruption has grown and what it has come to mean today, while attempting to provide a way out of this growing malady.
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