The Hindu Business Line : `Strong public opinion vital to fight corruption'

Right to information
Mr Sorabji said that full use should be made of the Right to Information Act and the opportunities it provides for disclosure of malfeasance and wrongdoing in administration.

Mangalore , April 30

Mr Soli J. Sorabjee, former Attorney General of India, has stressed the need for a strong public opinion to fight corruption in the country.

Delivering a lecture on `Challenges to democracy: We have promises to keep', organised by the Justice K.S. Hegde Charitable Foundation, in Mangalore on Saturday, Mr Sorabjee said that there is urgent need for a law that provides for the forfeiture of the property and assets of the corrupt gentry.

"But more than laws and their strict implementation, what is needed is a strong public opinion. The corrupt officials should be socially ostracized. Laws are certainly required but the answer to this challenge and remedy ultimately lies with us, the people," he said.

Another challenge to democracy lies in the fact that criminals, corrupt and undesirable persons get elected. This happens because citizens do not exercise their franchise properly. An alert and active citizenry is essential to meet the challenges to democracy and to ensure its successful functioning, he said.

Mr Sorabji said that full use should be made of the Right to Information Act and the opportunities it provides for disclosure of malfeasance and wrongdoing in administration.

Stating that hero worship is endemic in the country, he said. "There is nothing wrong in admiring our leaders as heroes. However, the risk is that in the process the tendency is to entrust such person with vast powers and uncritically accept the exercise of these powers without insisting on accountability." Dr Justice A.S. Anand, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, presented the Justice K.S. Hegde Charitable Foundation Award to Mr Sorabji on the occasion.

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