BABUS GET TOGETHER

The plight of retired coal secretary H. C. Gupta, who is an accused in the multimillion coal scam and has refused to take a lawyer because he cannot pay the fees, has brought an outpouring of support from the Indian Administrative Service fraternity. At a recent meeting of the IAS Association, which was reportedly attended by more than 60 serving and retired officers, it was decided that the association should intervene and approach the government. It was also suggested that the association should put together a corpus to fund Mr Gupta’s legal costs. Further, sources add, the association is considering getting a group of retired IAS officers to file a separate petition in the court.

This swift response was forthcoming, sources say, due to the respect Mr Gupta commands in the service among his peers and juniors. But some believe that it is also due to the growing anxiety within the IAS to seek a lasting solution to the issue of ex- babus being dragged to the court for actions “taken in good faith” while in the service.

There is a proposal for amending the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, which the babus now want to discuss with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, to ensure that officers are not held liable for “honest” decisions. Mr Gupta’s case has just made many nervous.