In a bizarre twist on financial ingenuity, government officials in Gujarat are now offering citizens the option to pay bribes in monthly installments, reported The Times of India. This novel approach is intended to be more "considerate" towards those who cannot afford large sums upfront, allowing corrupt practices to flourish under the guise of financial relief.
Dishonest officials across Gujarat have adopted this practice, drawing inspiration from banking systems to extract bribes from economically weaker individuals. The officials offer both monthly payment plans and lump-sum options to accommodate the financial constraints of the bribe-payers.
One notable case involved an individual caught in an SGST bogus billing scam earlier this year. Initially asked to pay a bribe of ?21 lakh, the person was instead offered an EMI plan, with payments of ?2 lakh per month over nine months, easing the immediate financial burden.
In another instance, a cybercrime unit police officer demanded a ?10 lakh bribe but allowed it to be paid in four installments. Similarly, a deputy sarpanch and a taluka panchayat member in Surat requested ?85,000 from a villager to level his farm. Recognizing the villager's poor financial condition, they offered an EMI option: a ?35,000 down payment followed by three installments.
The trend continued with two police officers from Sabarkantha district, who demanded a ?10 lakh bribe. They fled after collecting the first installment of ?4 lakh from the victim, highlighting the risks even within this dubious system.
These cases illustrate a disturbing normalization of corruption, as officials attempt to appear empathetic while perpetuating illegal activities. The new EMI bribery system, while potentially easing immediate financial pressure on citizens, underscores the pervasive and systematic corruption plaguing governance in Gujarat.
