When Servants behave like Masters

When servants behave like masters, "even The God cannot help." The Supreme Court, observed this as it expressed its frustration over the reluctance of the Centre and state governments to take tough measures against bureaucrats and others overstaying in public accommodation.
The court wants the governments to amend laws to treat squatting in government premises as criminal trespass of public property. The army of servants, who prefer to call themselves officers, is obviously not willing to oblige and the politicians who share their loot through them only, are on their side.
The bench of Justices B N Agrawal and G S Singhvi was informed that the government has decided as not to amend the relevant Section 441 of the Indian Penal Code. Thus, overstaying in official bungalows will not be made an offence.
Following the refusal of the Centre and states to make the squatters pay, the dejected court dropped its advocacy for a stronger law.
"In our view, the stand of the Centre and the states is condemnable,” as the trend of unauthorised occupation of official accommodation, is on the rise, it said.
"The whole government machinery is corrupt. We may lay down the law, but who will implement it? It has to be done by the clerks”. The secretaries and joint secretaries have no guts to go against the clerks. The law is there, the statute is there, but the system has become non-functional," it said.
The SC, frustrated by the determination of politicians and bureaucrats to stay put in subsidised accommodation beyond their eligibility, had proposed amendment last year, saying that only "third degree method" would work with the heedless and well-connected lot.