Arun Bhatia

Enjoy millions of the latest Android apps, games, music, movies, TV, books, magazines & more. Anytime, anywhere, across your devices.

This bio-data is a three decade long story of attempting to enforce honesty in a corrupt third world bureaucracy. Almost from the moment of joining service (IAS) it became clear that the real enemy was the corrupt political establishment in India.

I paid the price of denial of promotion, frequent transfers (26 transfers in as many years of service in India), numerous charges and enquiries, bad assessment reports, ridicule by peers, seniors and subordinates, lack of support when giant offenders like Glaxo or senior officers and politicians were prosecuted by me, ugly threats from the Bombay land mafia and so on. See the section on fight against corruption.

But there was another side also. I made friends with good people outside the system who stood by me and was able to help those being oppressed by corrupt officials. Awareness about corruption was enhanced, many were punished. Unfortunately, many were protected. When things became too hot with Chief Ministers gunning for me I managed to get a break by being selected by the United Nations for assignments. This happened in 1984 after I lodged criminal cases against builders and officials as Collector, Bombay; then in 1994 when I closed the Glaxo factory in Bombay and began the inspection of the Nasik factory as Commissioner, Food and Drugs; and again in 1999 when I prosecuted the reigning Chief Secretary and corrupt officials of the Revenue Department and the Pune Corporation.

Some might say that this picture is too black. But if we agree that generally the country is corrupt and mismanaged then it won't do to say that only the IAS is honest. More accurate it is to say that the top echelons lead and facilitate the corruption.

In 2004 I contested the parliamentary election as an independent candidate from Pune and received over 60,000 votes without any infrastructure or organisational support and without adequate time. This time things will be different.

Honest Indians will win this country back.