Indian Bureaucracy is about to get a shield against the malicious political class it seems. On October 31, the Supreme course discouraged bureaucrats from taking oral orders from their political bosses. The apex course sought an end to frequent transfers and also suggested a fixed tenure to protect the officers from political interference.
Certainly, when implemented, the action is going to make the
political class more accountable. The action would also bell the unruly cats in
bureaucracy as well. After getting all the decisions and actions in black and
white, they will hardly get any excuse for delaying or accelerating any
process. Hence, the lightning of the verdict is going to fall on both the
political class and the bureaucracy. Passing the buck is not going to work
anymore.
However, there is certainly a concern in this context.
Though the court has said that the parliament must enact a law to regulate
postings, transfers and disciplinary action against bureaucrats, how much
exhilaration the political class will show to take action on the enactment. How
reasonable will it be to expect any speedy action in this context from the same
political class which wants to get out of the purview of the Right to
Information to prevent itself from the noose of accountability?
The verdict came as a result of a PIL filed by 83 retired bureaucrats, including former cabinet secretary T S R Subramanian.
