Taxes and corruption

A judge of the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has hit the headlines by making an unusual, rather radical, suggestion: don't pay taxes if the government fails to control corruption. The judge, Justice Arun Chaudhari, has said, "The miasma of corruption can be beaten if all work together. If it continues, taxpayers should refuse to pay taxes through a non-cooperation movement". The idea can only be laughed off. One could understand if a rabble-rousing politician hungry for media publicity or a genuine victim of corruption speaks out in anguish. But a judge, and that too of a high court, is supposed to be more circumspect, reasonable and responsible. 

One agrees with Justice Chaudhari that ethics and morals have taken a back seat in India's scheme of things. Politicians and mandarins in the corridors of power should understand the "excruciating pain and anguish" of victims of corruption. Employee unions too should join the fight against corruption by not coming to the rescue of cornered corrupt officials. Citizens too can take a pledge not to bribe anyone regardless of the loss or inconvenience. But the onus is primarily on the government to eradicate systemic corruption. Ministers and bureaucrats do not easily give up the culture of patronage dispensation they have nurtured for years. Technology can provide online clearances but it is not used that widely. The battle against corruption has to begin at the top with a rule-based system and transparent funding of elections.

Agreed, judges too are human beings who get carried away at times. They too can feel exasperated at the lows governance has touched. Still, they are obliged to weigh their words carefully; what they say reflects not only on their own personality and the quality of judgments they deliver but also on the institution they represent. The judiciary commands tremendous respect among the citizens and nothing that makes it look ridiculous should be said or done. Judges are welcome to offer solutions to fight the ills plaguing the polity but they must speak in a measured and sober voice.