As a child, I played a game called ‘Saap Seeri’ (Snakes and Ladders). It was a simple pursuit: except for an occasion or two – having not mastered the “art of throwing dice” – I climbed the ladders of progress only to be swallowed by a snake that pulled me back to the threshold. No more a child, I have meandered through the circuitous routes and sharp curves of a journey spanning 72 years and 6 months. Having served the Government of India for 40 years, I retired on 30 September 2013. Post-retirement, when most would have preferred the tranquillity of morning walks and afternoon siestas, I remained in the arena as a guest faculty and a National Facilitator for Ethics and Values in Public Governance – a subject very close to my heart.
I spent years in classrooms interacting with the future of our bureaucracy. We spoke with pride of our cricket team winning the World Cup, the legacy of Sardar Patel, our landing on the moon, and our commitment to becoming the world’s third-largest economy. Above all, we spoke of a Constitution that owes its origin to “We, the People,” securing justice – social, economic, and political – to every Indian. Yet, lamenting the huge gap between preaching and practicing, I did not mince words regarding the casual approach to disposal. I spoke of the RTI Act, 2005, the strengthening of CPGRAMS, and the creation of Tribunals for “speedy” justice. Yet, after throwing the dice in various forums, a citizen often finds himself back at the beginning of the board.
What I am sharing here is not a figment of imagination; it is a sobering reality. Apart from the classroom and now courtroom, I have been actively taking up issues with the Delhi Police, MCD, and DDA. The 30-day mandate for RTI applications and 45-day deadlines for appeals very often lead to a prolonged wait in the Central Information Commission or vague answers that force people to either reconcile with the status quo or gasp for breath as the length of delay is no longer measured in yards, but in miles. Exceptions apart, this rot has gone deep into the veins of those who created the guidelines and those tasked with adjudicating upon them.
I open three chapters from my life to illustrate these institutional failures: The CAT Mirage: In 2019, I submitted an inquiry report as an Inquiry Officer. Per DoPT guidelines, 50 per cent of the honorarium is payable upon submission and the remaining 50 per cent within 45 days. Met with casual silence, I wondered if the fruits of my labour would ever manifest. Donning my black robes at age 70, I knocked on the door of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). In an apparent hurry to add to its tally of “disposed cases,” the Bench disposed of my OA at the admission stage by granting the respondents another 45-day ladder to pass a “speaking order.” When that, too, was met with silence, I filed a Contempt Petition.
At the hearing on 7 April 2026, I encountered another “snake”: while the Tribunal granted the Respondents a mere four weeks to respond, it adjourned the matter to 8 July 2026. By doing so, it created a two-month cushion of unaccountability, ensuring that the “Speedy Justice” promised to a 72-year-old remains suspended in a vacuum of dates and diaries. The Police Silence: Unable to bear noise pollution and unauthorized parking, I sent an email to the Commissioner of Police in 2014. I was delighte d to re ceive an acknowledgement and thought relief was near. Instead, while the law enforcers’ attitude turned stubborn, I continue to re ceive these acknowledgments in 2026, while the grievances remain unaddressed despite advertisements promising timely redressal.
The Civic Vacuum: The same approach persists with the MCD and DDA regarding encroachments and the conversion of the public street behind my house into an extended yard for law violators. Even the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), approached with photographic proof of the indifference of law enforcers, could only call for “Reports and Reports,” which eventually vanished under the weight of paper. In June 1947, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel told the pioneers of our service: “The future of this service will depend much upon the foundation and traditions that will be laid down by you, by your character and abilities and by your spirit of service.” It is a mockery when officials take a pledge of integrity on 31 October 2025, without committing to the tasks they are obliged to perform. We remember Mahatma Gandhi on his martyrdom day while forgetting the country he dreamt of. Justice remains a paper reality for the majority.
We dole out free rations to 80 per cent of the population because they are too poor to afford food – is this the justice we promised them? Social, economic, and political justice, if reserved for a few, will only result in lopsided growth. In the pursuit of my rights, I have found that the dice thrown by the common man uniquely has zero on all six sides. Meanwhile, a few possess dice with six on all sides, pulling down o thers for “extrane ous considerations.” In 2009, I penned: “I live in fear with liberty to shed tears.” We talk of becoming the third-largest economy, but we will truly be a global power only when those in administration, the NHRC, and judicial forums make justice real rather than a mirage. Will that ever happen, or will many continue to close their eyes, seeking a drop of justice just to survive?
(The writer is a retired Director and a practicing Advocate.)