President's office: No, we cannot schedule the swearing-in of the new Chief Justice of India at 7 p.m. because the Central cabinet is to be sworn in at 4 p.m.and there are 83 Ministers. The CJI was sworn in only last week.
Caller: Yes, but the Lokpal has passed strictures on the CJI and wants removal.
Teacher: Who is the Prime Minister of India?
Student: Sir, as of this morning it was Mr. XX. but I understand that the afternoon news announced his resignation consequent to Lokpal levelling charges.
Telephone call 1: Lokpalji, I am Mithun speaking from Unterabad. I came to get my 35-year-old scooter re-registered. It is working well. But they demand Rs.3,000 and threaten that if it is not paid they will find some defect and deny re-registration. Please help me.
Telephone call 2: Sir, I am Lalchand speaking from Oberapur. Five truckloads of pipes my factory has produced are held up even after payment of due excise duty because I am asked to pay a bribe of Rs. 30,000. This is unfair because I am used to paying only Rs.15,000. Kindly help me.
Telephone call 3: Sir, this is the CAG speaking. We have unearthed a huge scam involving 12 lakh crore rupees in food procurement and fertilizer subsidies. Would appreciate if Lokpal takes cognisance of the same and initiates immediate action before the evidence gets destroyed.
Lokpal: Dear CAG, Thank you for the call. I shall look into it as soon as possible but before that I need to sort out Mithun's problem of getting his two-wheeler re-registered and Lalchand's problem of paying only minimum tips for excise clearance. I am afraid there are dozens more of similar cases awaiting my attention. Please continue your good work. The above bizarre scenarios would result as a result of the PM, the higher judiciary and government servants at all levels coming within the purview of the Lokpal. We need to start having faith somewhere just as we build mathematical theories based on some axioms. Axioms represent faith and are not normally questioned. If the axioms betray, there are other mechanisms for correction. Is it wise to put all your eggs in one basket?
(The writer's email is: narayanan.makham @gmail. com)
