The Central Bureau of Investigation recently raided the house of a former intelligence officer because he authored a book which revealed disturbing internal details about the external intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW).

Major General VK Singh, who had earlier served with the R&AW, exposed inefficiencies in security management in his book India's External Intelligence Secrets of RAW. While the government is embarrassed that the former intelligence official has publicised extremely inconvenient details, the issue is whether his revelations are correct or not.

Some details highlighted in the book are about  the R&AW being in the news in 2004 after a senior officer defected from the country despite being under close surveillance. The author attributes this to weak counter-intelligence capabilities.

Another revelation in the book is when the intelligence agency  was tasked with the procurement of communication hardware for the Prime Minister's Office in 2001, it did not adequately factor in communication
security concerns.

Whether or not the book has exposed any operational details which may compromise the intelligence personnel working in foreign capitals is what the government should be worried about rather than acts of omission or commission by intelligence officers.

While the government has attempted to take action against VK Singh why has it not done so against some other former Indian intelligence officers turned authors over the last couple of years who have written books which include 'Sin of National Conscience', 'Open Secrets' or even  'The Kao Boys of R & AW'.

These book-length writings are explosive in nature and spill the beans in a big way on the secretive intelligence establishment or the 'Fifth Estate' of democracy. While intelligence organisations and secrecy are synonymous, the absence of transparency in non-operational or administrative matters tends to breed nepotism and corruption.            

The government's decision to use the 1923 Official Secrets Act, which was conceived by the British Raj, against V K Singh does not make sense in a liberal democracy. Evidently the government wants to deter others who may want to lift the lid off the cloistered intelligence establishment.

It is high time that the government institutes an oversight body,  like in the Western countries, to make the Intelligence establishment accountable to the country and avoid misuse of the taxpayer's money.