Kiran Bedi has a strong propensity to hog the limelight by virtue of her straight forward approach.This angered her bosses and peers,while in service.

The subordinates were scared of her style of functioning – upright , abrasive, no-nonsense and corruption-free. If, she is not  in controversy, controversy will chases her. She was not promoted as Delhi's Police Commissioner by previous dispensation due to her non-pliability and boldness to refuse illegal orders from the poltical class. Such IPS officers are rare to find. Though a novice to politics, she has the potential to be Delhi’s CM. Endowed with  administrative acumen,she is capable of  disciplining Delhi Police, Delhi’s bureaucracy and the corrupt officers, staff  and engineers of  municipal bodies.Let Delhi not miss the opportunity.

A K Saxena (A retd civil servant)

BEAT CONSTABLES are the most corrupt creatures in Police hierarchy. 

Consider National capital.

In a scuffle between two vendors ,the beat cop took 2000 rupees from each for reconciliation.

They were threatened with lock-up for failing to pay bribes.

The beat constables and PCR vans regularly extort haftas from vendors.

The Municipal Corporation engineers controlled by BJP and Delhi Police controlled by MHA ,take protection money from encroachers on public land.

Complaints fall on deaf ears.

Who will be a better choice for NCT Delhi, Delhi Police,NDMC and MCD ?

Kiran Bedi, Kejriwal or Kiran Walia ?

I am a BEDI fan

What are your preferences ?

Compare it with the final outcome on Feb 10,2015.

Several police stations in Delhi boast of ISO-9001  certifications. The claims are out of sync with ground realities.  There is nothing on record to substantiate their claims to fame.Reason: The stake holder ie the public is deliberately kept out of loop by the government-recognised  private rating agencies. This is a serious flaw in the appraisal system. The lower cadres in the police apparatus are reluctant to register FIRs despite Hon’ble Supreme court’s directions. The  investigating officers (IO), encourage mutual settlements between disputing parties to extort quick bucks in the bargain and  suppress crime statistics . Senior officers are helpless .Beat constables are busy extorting haftas from private persons as protection money for wrongdoings.

This epitomizes the position all over the country.The political class remains unconcerned and unfazed.

A police constable  in UP before committing suicide in Nov,2014, informed his father that he was forced to do Begaar (non-professional) duties  at the residence of a DIG and was depressed.This epitomizes the position across India. Police officers’ blatant misuse of  group D staff  as general factotum for performing menial jobs at private residences,is well known. These include : dish-washing , floor mopping , pets- walking, escorting , gardening, cloth-washing, cooking , tea-serving , shoe- polishing , vegetables purchasing etc. The staff  work illegally as domestic servants  for 14 to 15 hours a day-- all at tax payers’ cost. One can see scores of  security guards  living in tents pitched outside police officers’ residences. Discontentment is simmering in lower cadres. They resent malpractice of running personal errands for  their seniors. There is no option.Refusal to follow seniors’ diktats is taken as  “insubordination”, threats of transfers, suspensions, non-sanctioning  of leaves besides spoiling the ambience.One can see hordes of  security guards  living in tents pitched outside officers’ residences. Orders issued and reiterated by MHA do not serve any purpose in absence of supervision  by seniors who have vested interests. Seniors are indebted to their juniors.Cascading effect of corruption emboldens beat constables/PCR vans to extort haftas/bribes as protection money for wrongdoings.Police is a State subject. State govts. must take initiatives to control corruption in States’ police forces.MHA must act in respect of all CPOs and Delhi Police.

As a post-independence born, I used to read about India being labelled as a "under-developed country".

In my youth, it acquired the sobrequet " Less-developed country" .

This was very humiliating till India moved up the latter to become a "Developing country".

I have since retired but India is still " developing".

When ,will it become a "developed" country?

We are assured India will be a " super power" by 2020.

Will it skip the "developed" country status?

Double promotion.

Pakistan is reportedly planning to ban 10 terror outfits, including Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Haqqani network.

What are implications on India ?

Will Pakistan hand over Hafiz Sayeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, and Mullah Fazlullah to India?

And, what about the most dreaded Dawood Ibrahim -- The most suitable boy of ISI?

A paradigm shift in Pak's security policy or just an eyewash ?

200 Pak-trained terrorists are already waiting to infiltrate into India.

Can India take Pak at face value ?

iS ANOTHER TERROR ATTACK ON iNDIA IN THE OFFING ?

Modi sarkar merits appreciation  for its initiative  in disciplining the police and para-military forces. MHA's directive ( as Cadre  controlling authority) to IPS officers had been long over due. Senior police officers misuse the junior staff including security uards as general factotum to forcibly perform  menial jobs at seniors' homes like : gardening, cloth-washing, cooking food, serving tea, shoe- polishing ,buying vegetables,doubling as servants etc.Senior officers have to merely give oral orders to the  HOs for bigger favours, leading to domino effect of corruption.This explains why IPS officers were reluctant in UPA regime to submit property returns to their cadres.The anti-corruption  agencies were in hibernation. The subordinates resent the practice  of running personal errands for seniors. But, they have no option.Refusal to follow seniors' diktats means "insubordination" followed by transfers, suspensions and arm twisting.The menace is alarming in para-militar y forces. One can see dozens of  constables living in tents pitched outside officers' residences getting free cooked food but without  productive functions.It would be appreciated if Modi sarkar puts in place a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of  of MHA's orders on removal of

orderlies and escort staff.

Modi sarkar merits appreciation  for its initiative  in disciplining the police and para-military forces. MHA's directive ( as Cadre  controlling authority) to IPS officers had been long over due. Senior police officers misuse the junior staff including security uards as general factotum to forcibly perform  menial jobs at seniors' homes like : gardening, cloth-washing, cooking food, serving tea, shoe- polishing ,buying vegetables,doubling as servants etc.Senior officers have to merely give oral orders to the  HOs for bigger favours, leading to domino effect of corruption.This explains why IPS officers were reluctant in UPA regime to submit property returns to their cadres.The anti-corruption  agencies were in hibernation. The subordinates resent the practice  of running personal errands for seniors. But, they have no option.Refusal to follow seniors' diktats means "insubordination" followed by transfers, suspensions and arm twisting.The menace is alarming in para-militar y forces. One can see dozens of  constables living in tents pitched outside officers' residences getting free cooked food but without  productive functions.It would be appreciated if Modi sarkar puts in place a mechanism for monitoring the implementation of  of MHA's orders on removal of

orderlies and escort staff.

Setting up of Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is the landmark achievement of Modi ji. The Constitution  empowers the President to appoint judges in higher judiciary  in consultation with CJI and  other judges of the Supreme court and High Courts. The existing collegium system ( not a creature of the Constitution) created  through SC's judgements, is mired in controversies due to  appointment of several "inappropriate" judges in higher judiciary. JAC is the remedy to overcome the deficiencies of Collegium system.Headed by

CJI with  two senior-most judges of Supreme Court, Union Law Minister, two eminent persons  nominated jointly by PM, CJI and LOP ( Lok Sabha) and another from SC/ST/OBC or woman category as members , the JAC  will ensure collective participation of Judiciary, the Executive and legal luminaries besides infusing   greater transparency, accountability and objectivity into selection process. The JAC Bill, passed by the Parliament in August 2014, is to be ratified by at least half the State legislatures before it gets the Constitutional status.As many as 15 States' legislatures have reportedly ratified the Bill. Formalities over, the Rajya Sabha will soon recommend the Bill to the President for enactment. Another  point. Selections by JAC,will, no doubt, be largely  insulated from subjectivity and extraneous influences, there is a lobby opposing its formation,terming the same as   being "Unconstitutional.Though,the SC had rejected the PILs ( filed by the lobby )due to absence of concrete cause of action,there is every possibility of someone again approaching  the highest court  for seeking cancellation of Gazette notification or praying for a stay on its operation.This will have to be defended stoutly and legally by the Modi sarkar.

Prof Upendra Buxi : "Enacting National Judicial Appointments Commission',without consulting the Supreme court of India, would be unconstitutional".

Does the Professor refer to " Unanimous opinion" or just " Majority opinion" of SC ?

Both are elusive propositions,anyway.

Erudition and Unanimity are invariably poles apart.

Is Prof''s suggestion an attempt at maintaining the status quo of Collegium approach?

What is unconstitutional in the proposed dispensation?

Several legal luminaries support creation of National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC)on ground of transparency and as part of Good governance The NJAC will have the Chief Justice of India (CJI) as chairperson and two senior-most judges of the Supreme Court as members, apart from the Union Law Minister and two eminent personalities, of which one of them would be nominated from among the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, minorities, Other Backward Classes or women.

Ratifications from 15 States have been received. It has to be ratified by at least half the State legislatures before the Bill, passed by the Parliament in 2014, got the Constitutional status

Mani Shankar Aiyer, sidelined by the Congress, tries to hog the limelight through his outlandish off-the-cuff remarks justifying terror attacks in France as a backlash of US attacks on jehadis in Af-Pak and Iraq. No wonder, he would by same logic, justify 9/11 terror attack on US and 26/11 on Mumbai.

If Quereshi of BSP ( Meerut) can be booked for announcing a reward of Rs 51crores to French terrorists, why not Iyer for similar offence ?

Why should one assuage the religeous bigots?

In one case, a union Cabinet Secretary went to the extent of spreading a rumour of a junior officer( holding a high profile job) being terminally ill.

The motive was to get him transferred. His fault: Unpliable. The move failed.

The same Cabinet Secretary sent a concealed threat to me through same officer while I was serving as Secretary (PESB) in the Nineties of the last millenium. He pressured me to do a job,that was invalid.

The retired Cabinet Secretary is now lecturing on importance of Ethics and Probilty in public life.

What an irony ?

(Names concealed for obvious reasons)

Hypothetically, if , the on-going proxy war between India and Pakistan, turns into a full-scale war, with China- backed Pakistan, what will be the outcome ?

Will Russia join the fray from indian side ?

What will be US's stand ? And,of course that of NATO powers ?

Whose sides,will countries like Bangla Desh, Myanmar, South Korea, Sri-Lanka, the Maldives, take ?

I am often haunted by these imaginary questions.

And, who knows,this could be a reality,in case, there is another terror attack by Pakistan ?

Both are nuclear weapons states.

Prof. N C Saxena's views on "Why are Indian diplomats ineffectual'( Jan5,2015) are thought provoking.His views are,however, IFS specific. Let us consider all civil  services, across the board.Compare the vintage civil services : the ICS and Indian Police with their distant cousins ,the present civil service.  All old-time bureaucrats  privately agree that there has been a gradual decline in quality of civil services ,over the  decades leading to poor governance .Whom to blame?  UPSC and DOP&T. Change in UPSC format is necessary. Laidback bureaucracy will fail to tap India's demographic dividend phase ( 2020- 2045) .One suggestion. As in the past, appearing in interviews after CS (Mains)mustbe made compulsory with  minimum cut-off prescribed for qualifying.The argument that  this will adversely impact candidates from  rural sector ,is fallacious  and misleading.Interviews can be taken in any  scheduled Indian language. Having served in UPSC, I recall cases when  some candidates got high ranks in  final merit order lists despite their abysmally low performance in interviews.How could India boast of an assertive and unpliable  bureaucracy   in 21st   century with poor oral communication skill ? Weightage for interviews must be raised.

May I urge the Prime Minister to consider the suggestion ?

Manmohan Singh's performance resulted in Congress' s disgraceful defeats in State Assembly polls was considered below average. Analyze the reasons :--

(a) Manmohan Singh, the unelected PM, failed to lead the political and permanent Executive from the front. Unconnected with the masses and usually

reticent, he never engaged with the grassroots. Bureaucracy always looks forward to an assertive CEO, which he was not.

(b) Dual centres of power. Sonia Gandhi retained charge of politics while leaving governance to Manmohan Singh

(c) As ministers owe allegiance to Sonia Gandhi and their parties Supremo, the PM is divested of all authority. The PMO is ruled by the Congress High Command). A "bureaucratic caucus " in the PMO transforms all Congress s orders into Cabinet decisions.

(d) Backseat driving by extra-Constitutional authorities subverted legitimate, competent authorities in central government. All top appointments were made ,on quid pro quo basis, on the recommendations of business houses , builders mafia.

Mediocrity was encouraged at the cost of Merit. Honest civil servants  were either marginalized or punished.

(e) The PM embroiled in scams, had lost moral authority to question his

ministers who had direct access to the " high command".

(f) The Congress had been  a past master in making compromises with UPA allies in the name of electoral adjustments in exchange of protection from its caged parrot.

(g) Supremely  arrogant, insensitivity and incapability.  The Congress and its economist PM failed to check inflation . That led to Congress s defeat in assemblies polls.