Corruption is a disease, a cancer that eats into the cultural, political and economic fabric of society, and destroys the functioning of vital organs. Corruption is found almost everywhere, but it is stubbornly entrenched in the poor countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, it is widespread in Latin America, it is deep rooted in many of the newly industrialised countries, and it is reaching alarming proportions in several of the post-communist countries.

Corruption in India has become deep-rooted and is galloping unchecked and unhindered. Very often, we hear the top politicians at the centre and in the states talking of ‘waging war against corruption’, ‘fighting the evil of corruption’, ‘no compromise on corruption’, ‘not to spare any corrupt person, howsoever high’, yet it is well known how our country appears to be sinking deeper and deeper in corruption. There is little doubt that corruption in present-day India pervades all levels and all services, not even sparing the Indian Administrative Service and Judicial Service. The bureaucracy of the British India was considered to be largely untainted with corruption.