Indian administration has always had a fantastic worldwide reputation. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel once referred to our civil services as the “steel frame” of the nation. However, the Indian civil services, which were intended to serve as an apolitical backbone for the country’s prosperity in accordance with his vision, are currently losing their identity. Institutionalised corruption is seriously undermining the fundamental pillars of public service, integrity, and honesty.

There is rising evidence that government officials are misusing their positions and authority to build unlawful fortunes worth crores of rupees on a daily basis. Armed with unlimited power, some authorities are willing to sacrifice public welfare for political and business objectives. Recent raids across the country by agencies ranging from the Central Bureau of Intelligence (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to state Anti-Corruption Bureaus (ACBs) ~ targeting both high-ranking officials and judges ~ clearly demonstrate the cancerous spread of systematic corruption. At the Central government level, Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh revealed in a written response to a Rajya Sabha question in 2022 that the CBI had filed cases against 1,281 officers from various departments on bribery and corruption allegations.

He stated that the appropriate cadre-controlling bodies handle individual situations in accordance with applicable disciplinary procedures. Furthermore, figures show that over 150 corruption charges against IAS and IPS officers are still pending with the CBI alone. At the state level, regular raids by enforcement agencies in Telangana are exposing deep-seated, high-level corruption. A senior IAS officer’s case is a great example of administrative rot. The central government has approved an investigation against this officer for financial irregularities in organising the coveted Formula-E competition. The main accusation is the unauthorised transfer of Rs 54.88 crores of public cash to foreign business companies for a cancelled event, without cabinet clearance and in breach of central banking standards.

Around the same time, ACB searches on the residence of the Engineer-in-Chief of the Roads and Buildings Department sent shockwaves, discovering disproportionate assets of Rs 17.94 crores. More recently, ACB agents raided the home of a Multi-Zone Deputy Director of Land Records, seizing crores of rupees in cash and gold biscuits. Similar administrative malpractices have become common in Andhra Pradesh. The ACB determined that a Senior Assistant at the Kakinada Collectorate held........

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