About 49,000 copies of Jaswant's book sold so far

The controversial book Jinnah: India-Partition-Independence written by former Union Minister Jaswant Singh, has so far sold close to 

49,000 copies including 13,000 in Pakistan, according to the publishers of the book, Rupa and Company here today. 

"We have also got fresh orders of 500 each from Lahore and Karachi today", said R K Mehra of the firm. 

The book had also raised interest and enquiries in countries like Sri Lanka, Australia, Canada, US, UK and the middle east, he said. 

The huge demand had led to the 20th reprint of the book and all the four presses of the company were engaged in printing the book to meet the 'overwhelming' demand ever since it was bogged down in controversy, he said. 

"We hope the book will reach the one lakh mark by end of the year", he said. 

The publishers would be conducting functions for promotion of the book in cities like Pune, Darjeeling, Hyderabad, Patna, Lucknow and Kolkatta, he said. 

On the reaction to his book Jaswant Singh said that he was overwhelmed and would be travelling later to Pakistan to promote it.

Corruption - A threat to national security

NEW DELHI: While coming down heavily on corruption, the Chief Justice of India, K G Balakrishnan, said on Saturday that the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) provision asking investigating agencies to seek permission from higher authorities for prosecuting accused public servants could be contributing in creating a "climate of impunity" where the requisite sanction is either delayed or denied because of extraneous considerations. 

He emphasized that it is not the quantum of punishment but the certainty of punishment which proves to be an effective deterrent against corruption and how it was important to address the issue of obstructions in the investigation and trial process. 

"Even in instances where the investigating agencies have gathered substantial material to proceed against a person, it is felt that the necessary sanction is not given on account of extraneous considerations. In many cases, aggrieved parties have approached the higher judiciary when the requisite sanctions have been denied despite the production of incriminating materials," he saidd. 

Addressing a seminar on corruption organized by CBI and National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Sciences, Balakrishnan said corruption in some cases can be a threat to national security. He cited the example of how smuggled arms and explosives were used for the 1993 Mumbai blasts. 

The CJI said there might be a case in near future for the higher judiciary to grant effective constitutional remedies in respect of instances of corruption, over and above the statutory remedies provided by the PCA. "In recent years, several instances of corruption by high-level officials have been recorded by the higher judiciary in the exercise of their writ jurisdiction, but the same do not amount to convictions and hence effective punishments could not be given. Therefore, our deliberations should focus on how to strengthen the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases, so that the courts of first instance are able to improve the conviction rates." 

He, however, also cautioned that any proposal to amend the PCA must be thoroughly scrutinized for its constitutional compatibility before it is enacted in the form of legislation. "One prominent suggestion is the inclusion of a statutory remedy that will enable confiscation of properties belonging to persons who are convicted of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The rationale behind the same is that if a public official amasses wealth at the cost of the public, then the state is justified in seizing such assets. Similar enactments like SAFEMA in case of persons arrested under detention laws have not proved to be very successful," he said. 

He also spoke on the "controversial issue" of separation of prosecution functions from the investigative functions of CBI saying the agency needs a specialized and dedicated team of lawyers. He asserted that CBI relying on government law officers and standing counsels to conduct prosecutions was the real problem.