NEW DELHI: The news of the disbanding of the Medical Council of India and the resignation of the disgraced president of the all- India body Ketan Desai, who is facing graft charges, from his post should be welcomed by all right thinking people. The dethroning of some of the top functionaries of some of the organizations in recent times should encourage public men in their efforts to free the country from the stranglehold of corruption as much as it lies in their power.

Several months ago, the Mail Today, published by the India Today group came out with a long list of misdeeds of the man, his corrupt ways and underhand dealings. Though these were not new revelations and were known to all those having dealings with the Medical Council, the exposure did not seem to have had any impact at that time. People in senior positions even continued to defend Desai. But as the saying goes it is not possible to fool all the people all the time and the medical council head was caught red handed when he tried to extract his pound of flesh from the authorities of a medical college in Punjab seeking permission to recruit a fresh batch of students.

Ketan Desai is known to be a person with lot of clout in political circles. That is why he has been left untouched though he has caused severe damage to the system of governance of medical institutions in the country for quite some time. What is more, in medical circles his greed and dictatorial ways were well known. Those in the know of the murky affairs and holding positions of power along with Desai had either colluded with him or had been too afraid of the powerful man to expose his misdeeds. The arrest of the chief and the disbanding of the council should now give courage to those who have more things to reveal.

It is surprising that despite all the checks and balances provided under our vibrant democracy, powerful persons like Desai are able to carry out their nefarious designs, flouting all rules of justice and fair play.

The MCI Vice-President has forwarded the Desai’s resignation letter to the Health Ministry, it is learnt.

Corrupt empires:
The main functions of the MCI, set up under the Indian Medical Council Act, 1933, are to ensure uniform standards in medical education and grant recognition to medical degrees awarded in India and abroad.

Medical colleges across the country require MCI's permission to increase the number of seats, to set up new medical college, to add new courses and also to increase student intake.

Not long ago, the IPL empire which turned into a hotbed of corruption got shaky through the misdeeds of another individual, Lalit Modi. Here again the rot went undetected because of the powers enjoyed by the man at the top and the lack of courage of those who worked along with him or under him.

Islands of corruption exist in every field of human endeavour in this country and all the provisions of the Constitutional safeguards had not been able to ensure honesty and transparency in the public domain. Those who come to power always manage to find ways of bypassing rules for a consideration. The worst sufferer in the process is the common man who does not have the right connections with those in politics or power.

Hard Task
To make top functionaries accountable to the people is one of the hardest task in the matter of making democracy effective or governance free from corruption and injustice. If the instruments provided for ensuring fair dealings fail, what is the remedy?

This is where the need for men of conscience with a willingness to get involved in common causes becomes paramount. They can certainly tap and mobilize right thinking men and women against corrupt elements. Whistle blowers are needed to bring before the public misdeeds and cases of injustice into the open.

We claim ourselves to be a very religious nation , but the conduct of our public affairs hardly conform to ethical norms. This is a paradox. Religious leaders have a role to play in awakening the conscience of the people as they seek shortcuts to wealth and power and in the process thwart all canons of justice. Instead of telling stories of long ago or glorying about a mythical greatness of the past, they need to teach basic rules of ethical conduct at a time when immorality and permissiveness had taken the centre stage.

It is a pity that religious leaders compete in belittling and under cutting one another instead of joining the fight against corruption and make life a little more easier for the common man.. It is as much their duty to produce individuals who are honest citizens working for the common good.

Religion should become a tool to promote ethical standards ion the community and not a tool for dividing society. After all most religions contain values that are universal and it should be in their interest –and that of the common man—to work together so that the powerful ones in the community do not gobble up the weak and the innocent.