INDIA'S HISTORY with corruption is not a new subject of discussion. It is so deeply rooted in the country that India's corruption problem continues to grow more rampant with each passing day. No longer concealed, corruption and its trails have become so obvious that they exist hidden in plain sight, sometimes staring us in the face—even in uniforms. 

Corruption under our Noses

In the most recent case of corruption, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) underlined major discrepancies in the overseas export revenue of Rajesh Mehta, owner of Rajesh Exports ltd. SEBI alleged that between the financial years 2021 and 2025, Rajesh Exports misrepresented its revenues by ₹15.15 lakh crore (approximately).  

A humongous gap of ₹2.92 lakh crore was found between its total global revenue and that of its major international subsidiary, which the company had portrayed as a key contributor to its earnings. 

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On May 30, 2026, the Bihar government suspended two IAS officers, Abhilash Kumari Sharma and Yogesh Kumar Sagar, for their alleged involvement in a tender scam linked to contractor Rishu Shree, also known as Rishu Ranjan Sinha. The suspension order stated that the duo had allegedly obtained favours, particularly monetary benefits. 

In another chapter of corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Punjab's Deputy Inspector General, Haricharan Bhullar, in a bribery case. Bhullar, who has now been suspended, reportedly possessed luxury vehicles, 1.5 kg of gold, ₹5 crore in cash, among other indulgences. 

There is no end to these corruption stories and these are only the ones that have come into the open. Under the carpet, there’s unimaginable dirt polluting the system at a humungous scale.

Judiciary as Mute Spectator and often Complicit

In most of such corruption cases, the judiciary seems to be asleep at the wheel, and often shows how thin skinned it is to its own criticism.  In February 2026, the country's judicial fraternity was deeply focused on a Class 8 NCERT Social Science textbook that featured a section on "corruption in the judiciary." 

All hell broke loose after its introduction, with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Suryakant keen on finding out who was responsible for the chapter. NCERT issued an apology, but CJI Suryakant called for a deeper probe and said, "Heads must roll." 

With the judiciary distracted by a Class 8 textbook that it found offensive, corruption and its roots have spread into every field and alley of the nation. So, the question is: What must be done to reclaim democracy itself? 

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Reclaim Democracy by Electoral Reforms and Bringing Swaraj 

In order to deal with the issue of corruption, parliamentary democracy must give way to participatory democracy. The model of self-governance, also known as Swarajya, is deeply focused on promoting the concept of self-rule, enabling people at the grassroots level to exercise power and practise democracy. Mahatma Gandhi's idea of Swaraj meant greater freedom at the ground level and the creation of self-sufficient communities at the grassroots, free from extreme dependency. 

Similarly, decentralization of power expands the web of influence, thereby boosting the participation of people, particularly marginalized groups, including women. 

Apart from the model of self-rule, strengthening NOTA (None of the Above) could become a highly powerful tool to make democracy more robust. Citizens Voucher instead of Electoral Bonds is also one another method to strengthen transparency in the political funding process.

In 2024, the top court bashed the electoral bonds scheme, which was introduced to make political funding more transparent but ended up doing the contrary. The concept of citizen vouchers could become the new go-to alternative, replacing electoral bonds that failed to achieve their goals. These vouchers, held by the public, could be given to political parties, which could then use them to contest elections. 

Right now, India is in desperate need of a Jan Aandolan  (people's movement) that unites its people against ravaging corruption and the system that is not working for them. A unified circle of informed citizens that should not be tainted by personal or political hidden agendas. 

(Writer is the editor-in-chief of NewsGram and former President of the Bharatiya Liberal Party.)

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