Corrupt people are not human beings: Hegde

Corrupt people are not human beings but only homo sapiens, who are products of men and women, opined former Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde here on Thursday.

He made the observation at the New Horizon College at Kasturi Nagar on Thursday. One cannot become human being just by taking birth but by developing empathy, sensitivity and affection for other creatures in the world, he said.

Justice Hegde made a fervent appeal to students to rise against the national evil, which is eating up the country. New Horizon College was the fifth educational institute where he lectured to garner support for the major demonstration on July 25 at Freedom Park in Bangalore. He appealed to them to visit the venue in good numbers to demonstrate their solidarity in the fight against corruption.

He said the lawmakers live under the impression that they are the lords of people and forget that they are mere public representatives.

Referring to a statement by a parliamentarian, who had questioned the authority of Anna Hazare and his team members for staging demonstration in favour of a stringent law against corruption, Justice Hegde said the country does not belong to judiciary, legislature or the bureaucracy but the people. “If I have to write an autobiography, then I will name it- Who am I,” he added.

In 1986, the corruption in the Bofors gun deal was worth Rs 86 crore. But by 2010, the enormity of the corruption increased to Rs 1.76 lakh crore in 2G scam. “Look at the galloping speed of corruption. It has reached Rs 1.76 lakh crore,” he said.

He accused the UPA’s Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee of shielding those who stash money in Swiss banks and not revealing their names. 

He said at least Rs 960 lakh crore is stashed in Swiss banks, which is five times the total black money deposited by the corrupt people from China, Germany, England and the United States. “If the money is brought back, the country would not only clear all its foreign debts, but would also be free from taxes,” he said.