Join our Fight Against Corruption

This is a website initially created to protect my whistle blower husband MN Vijayakumar an IAS officer of 1981 Batch of Karnataka Cadre. He has been lucky enough to have survived three attempts on his life and has faced many threats .I took up his causes after the very first attempt as I never wanted to fight after losing him. Even my son and I have not been spared by the corrupt people against whom we are fighting. This website has lot of information (mostly obtained under the RTI Act by me or those published in the media). This website has been appreciated by the Transparency international, the UNDP, The New York Times, The Guardian weekly, The Gulf News, The International herald tribune and many of the Indian Newspapers (see the media section)

The senior corrupt officers tried to harass him so that my husband would give up his fight against corruption. To quote only a few: They issued my husband with SEVEN transfer orders in less than 10 months. But my husband did not change his stand. Each time for his stubborn stand against corruption by his seniors. When my husband was about to introduce systems to enable citizens to see their files from their own computers he was shunted. They posted him without providing a single staff to a company bankrupted by corrupt officers, but my husband created a website and sought help from all like minded people from all over the world (Visit the website). He survived three attempts on his life. He was sanctioned leave for the period he worked. He was forced to appear before the doctors against whom he had given report about their corrupt practices(My husband used the opportunity to administer anti corruption pledge to them).He was denied leave when his life was under threat. His request to provide at least a loan to buy a computer for office use was not granted. Today my husband's meetings are web-casted. . He has developed many tools and made them available to citizens to fight against corruption (for such efforts he was selected as a finalist to recive the Shanmugam Manjunath Integrity Award, but the corrupt seniors denied him permission - See this and this ) He has reported the corrupt practices of senior IAS officers including Chief secretaries. He has sought permission of the Government to criminally prosecute those who put his life in grave danger. In spite of all these he gave a presentation to more than 100 IAS officers about the Role of Whistle Blowers in Governance. He has created a website to help other whistle blowers involving about 15 IAS officers from different parts of the country and other professionals (Visit the website) What should be even more surprising is that he has got permission from the Government to write a book based on his experiences in fighting corruption that too while continuing in Service. He has demonstrated that fighting corruption practiced anywhere and by anybody is a duty cast upon every officer . He has prevented a few hundred crores land going to the land mafia.He has exposed the corrupt IAS officers working with the land mafia. He has exposed looting of money meant for the poorest by the corrupt senior IAS officers. My husband has been success full in preventing very corrupt officers getting important Statutory Posts at national level. As you read this you may be directly be able to watch him taking meetings on the internet

To get a summary of events since he joined the Service Please Scroll down

To know about how whistle blowers are harassed and even killed please watch the NewsX Report on Whistle Blowers broadcasted on 9/12/09 (This also presents our efforts) Part I ,, Part II ,, Part III

To know about other whistle blowers please read this

To read about what various media reported Please see this I am aware that many of the direct links are broken. It is also interesting to know which links are not working

To know what I told to a Magazine meant exclusively for civil servants Please read this

To know about what I am trying to communicate to Indians leaving abroad Please read this

To know what International Newspapers have to Say please read this, this and this

To read about what the Transparency International and the UNDP have to say about our efforts please see this , this and this

To read about the front page article in the Indian Express please see this

To know about what those who visited have said please read this and this

To know about what issues are being discussed in the forum please see this

Pragati Karnataka a network of people to fight corruption launched on 18/1/2010

Anti-corruption stickers fixed on Government Vehicles on 9/12/09 by us anticor.gif corkills4.gif

Note : You can make comments on most of the pages in addition to at the forum

……………………………………………………………………………………From where people are visiting this site ?.

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I am Jayashree JN married to MN Vijayakumar an IAS officer of Karnataka Cadre. My husband joined IAS in 1981. We married in 1984. Even before the marriage he had made certain things clear about what I should be doing etc. I am giving a briefly some of the events to bring out my husband's fight against corruption which I directly observed or read them in the newspapers and about which I have used the RTI Act since 2006 to collect extensive information.

I am Jayashree JN married to MN Vijayakumar an IAS officer of Karnataka Cadre. My husband joined IAS in 1981. We married in 1984. Even before the marriage he had made certain things clear about what I should be doing etc. I am giving a briefly some of the events to bring out my husband's fight against corruption which I directly observed or read them in the newspapers and about which I have used the RTI Act since 2006 to collect extensive information.

Within less than a month after our marriage in May 1984, I came to know what would be in store for me when my husband refused to tow the lines of corrupt. At that time the punishment was only transfer to a place where many IAS Officers would not have worked till today. In 1986 my husband made efforts to computerize Government functions. But his action against illegal encroachments was not appreciated. Today Karnataka Government is talking about Regularization Schemes.

My memories are still fresh when in 1986 my husband came home and told me that he submitted his resignation letter to the Chief Secretary as he did not agree with the Chief Secretary that an IAS officer had to be thick skinned when it came to corrupt practices of senior officers.In 1987 when he brought out reports about window dressing by Public Sectors, his boss who supported him told my husband that many of the Chief Executives (who were more than 20 years senior to my husband ) were unhappy with the way their shortcomings were made public and informed my husband that he would be shunted out. I had seen three annual reports brought out by my husband. He and his staff used to spend many nights in the office working the whole night. I was under the impression that for his hard work he would be congratulated!! Since the he has refused to work under corrupt senior officers many times. He submitted resignation letter than to do any thing which would have shielded the corrupt seniors.When in 1991 when not only he was threatened but we learnt that safety of our children and me were also doubtful at my husband's insistence I stayed with my two children in a far away place.My husband made many efforts to introduce transparency in innovative manners in whichever office he worked. When no one was talking about the Right to Information, in 1991 he set up the first computerized information booth in Dharwar District. His paper on Openness in Administration presented at ASCI Hyderabad in 1993 had all the ingredients of the 2005 Right to Information Act (Seee 1 , 2 , 3).In 1993 he made fight against corruption and Water Harvesting as parts of Literacy Mission, I learnt about the evils of corruption. I must have traveled to not less than 100 villages creating awareness and must have addressed not less than 5000 volunteers. On the Day the Literacy Program was to be launched my husband received the transfer order. I do remember the commotion during that function and my husband informing the gathering that it is the program and not the people who are important. In 1995 my husband created history by showing largest sugar production in an area which was never recognized for high yields. But this he could achieve by plugging the loop holes by video graphing the arrivals should not surprise anyone. In recognition of his work he was made the Chief Executive of 4 sugar companies. While he was away on training abroad, another officer holding charge of his post worked with corrupt elements and my husband refused to take charge again when his seniors failed to act on his report.

In 1996 and 1997 he introduced many measures to improve transparency and accountability. I do remember one of the junior officers who attended my husband's review meeting telling how my husband instructed more than 40 officers not to follow the instructions given by his senior officer in the same meeting and that too in his presence. When his senior who had the opportunity to make corrupt officers to be held responsible during a review by the Legislative Committee ignored my husband's request, my husband refused to work under that officer. My husband was immediately 'punished' for this and he received four transfer orders in that year. In one of these postings my husband inspected about 100 works and gave a report to the Chief Secretary bringing out the fact that the certification of bad works as good by seniors as being the most important cause of perpetuating corruption. At that time though that Chief Secretary must have been very unhappy because of other honest officers supporting my husband had no choice but to refer my husband's report to the Public Affairs Center to come out with a Guide for monitoring Works for both Officials and Citizens(See this and this).

During 1998 and 1999 he laid foundation for computerization of most of the departments in Karnataka (My husband worked in the field of Computer Simulation of Metals in BARC, Mumbai for five years before joining the IAS). What should surprise anyone is that he did many of these by taking the help of our son who was at that time studying in 9 th Standard. My husband and son together gave a presentation in Computer Society of India about a software (Kannada Speech to Text). When the Editor of a leading Kannada News Paper asked my husband to sell that Software so that he could throw away some of his staff, my husband decided to not to make available that software even though it would have given money and fame. He was never after publicity. This was misused by his seniors and colleagues.

It was in 2000 when my husband was allowed to work for a very short time was able to begin computerization and more importantly introduced afffixing photographs while Registering Properties to unearth benami transactions (See this and this which shows clearly he had planned to videograph the Registration). He had introduced daily information collection system and if had been allowed to work for at least a few more months he would have exposed the Telgi Stamp scam as he had asked information to be obtained from Banks also. His other efforts are mentioned in the Finance Commission Report prepared during that time under the Chairmanship of Sri Veerappa Moily

From 2001 to 2005 he headed Power Sector Reforms. The information available in the Karanataka Electricity Regulatory Commission's Orders indicate he exposed the suppression and distortion of facts to swindle money which started from 2003 onwards and was brazenly done from 2004 onwards. My husband Report given in May 2005 to the then Chief Secretary which gave details of looting of money by senior IAS officers which gave raise to threats etc. In his next posting in the Department of Public Enterprises he collected more evidences to establish what can be termed day light looting of money by corrupt IAS officers in a systematic manner which lead to the incident reported in the the New York Times later It is after this incident that I decided to take up all issues my husband was fighting against in stead of of doing so after losing him. It has been very sickening experiences for me to hear directly from officers occupying the post of Chief Secretary brazenly talking about not just shielding the corrupt but what they wanted to do to silence my husband. One Chief Secretary who shielded her very corrupt brother tried to tell me how honest she was. She tried to desperately contact my husband on the last day of her Service. The next Chief Secretary told in my presence that he shields the corrupt and that we could complain to anyone.CBI had charge sheeted that officer for swindling money meant for Tribals. Even a Legislative Committee had asked Government to initiate action for favoring private people. All these were suppressed and he was made Chief Secretary.But this website exposed all these suppressions and he was removed him from the post of Chief Secretary ( See this and this). As this Chief Secretary questioned my rights as a woman I complained against him with the Women Commission and that Chief Secretary in spite of using the State Machinery lost the case and the Commission ordered the Government to take action against him (See this)The Chief Secretary who came after him , made his office send a message to the effect that even honest officers who worked with my husband in the past would be affected (See the Indian Express Report dated 14/4/08) When he disgraced the murdered whistle blower Sri Manjunath I complained to the President against his criminal behavior(See this). The present Chief Secretary who is fully aware of my husband's fight against corruption for more than two decades though initially appeared to be helpful appears to be too afraid to take any action against any corrupt officer.On the other hand he revealed the residential address my husband had given him to the very corrupt officers who failed to kill my husband after making three attempts on his life.

But none of these had any impact on my husband's fight against corruption. He is the first IAS officer to declare assets (See letter sent to my husband by the Karnataka Lokayukta, in August 2006 ). Though no State Government Office observes the Vigilance week in Karnataka, he always observes it in which ever office he works. He has asked all his colleagues to come forward to declare their assets to the public. Wherever he goes he informs the Government Servants that whistle blowing is a duty to be performed (See this and this ) . He mobilizes people to fight against corruption (See this).His exposure of huge serious corrupt practices during 2007-08 in the Irrigation Department and the brazen efforts of corrupt IAS officers to shield themselves have not just been documented on files but also in videos. After the third attempt on my husband's life even the Police Officer in charge of his protection asked my husband to approach the CBI. My husband was the only IAS officer to participate in the International anti-Corruption Day on 9/12/09 though letters had been sent to all IAS officers in Karnataka. What he exposed in the Karnataka Appellate Tribunal during 2009 about the benami land purchases allowed by corrupt IAS officers and involving corrupt IAS officers (including a retired Chief secretary- See this and this ) confirm why Karnataka is rated as one of the most corrupt States in the country.

Though my husband suffered a lot in the hands of corrupt senior IAS officers he has made it clear that just for getting a good posting he would not keep quiet about their corrupt practices. The Reuters report is a reflection of what corrupt IAS officers stoop When he was asked to appear before some Medical Officers against whose corrupt practices he had earlier reported, my husband used the opportunity to administer them Anti Corruption Pledge.

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RTI Kills Corruption

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Our Strategy

Attack the bureaucrats, who conspire with politicians to loot the country, so that it becomes almost impossible for any politician to make wealth by corrupt means - by cheating the public using willing corrupt bureaucrats of his choice

Get a ruling that the requirement of every government SERVANT to work with ABSOLUTE INTEGRITY allows him to blow whistle. When a large number of honest officials are freed from the fear of harassment by the mighty corrupt, major changes necessary to acheive corruption free services becomes possible

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Corruption is Evil

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What Are You ?

This website has the following main objectives:

To provide a platform for any person who wishes to fight corruption at higher levels and in particular the root of corruption

To provide help to those who have knowledge of corruption but are afraid to take further action. If for any reason, such a person is unwilling to take up the corruption issue, to make arrangements to take up the issues on behalf of such a person.

Create awareness to initiate a movement to demand corruption - free service as a Fundamental Right

To create a network of like minded people to fight corruption at high levels and also proactively join with similar organizations

To share the experiences of using the Right to Information Act in fighting corrupt practices at high level and also provide links to similar actions taken up elsewhere in the country and rest of the world

From the experiences of my husband , to achieve the above, there is an immediate need to do the following to help honest officers to work without being intimidated:

To get a Ruling that the requirement of absolute integrity under the Service Rules already allows Whistle Blowing. In view of this to hasten the enactment of the Public Services Bill

To help to make better provisions for whistle blowers under the Public Services Bill

To make the Act applicable even to State Government Officials immediately and not to give any discretion to State Governments in this regard . . . . .

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