Opinion | Why We Must Pay Attention To How IAS Officer Tried To Destroy Transparent Digital System |
India’s governance systems are facing a tough lesson from a current court case: when transparency increases, so does resistance.
This resistance can manifest as fabricated scandals, personal vendettas, and manufactured narratives by insiders who later attempt to discredit the system they once served.
The case of former IAS officer Ashok Parmar is a striking example. His explosive claims of a “massive Jal Jeevan Mission scam" in Jammu and Kashmir, highlighted by certain media outlets as whistleblower revelations, have collapsed under official scrutiny. This case is not just about a loss of personal credibility but illustrates how reformers are targeted when digital transparency disrupts old ways of functioning, highlighting the need for stronger institutional safeguards.
The most startling detail emerged at the beginning. Parmar’s initial written allegation accused officials of a “scam" involving Rs 1,000 – not a thousand crore, not even a lakh, but literally one thousand rupees.
From there, the figures ballooned fantastically: Rs 3,000 crore in one letter, Rs 5,000 crore in another, Rs 6,000 crore soon after, and eventually an eye-popping Rs 14,000 crore, roughly the entire Jal Jeevan Mission’s approved outlay for J&K. These figures did not arise from audits, complaints, discoveries, or investigations but from Parmar’s pen, growing with each letter he wrote.
As his figures inflated, his credibility diminished. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) confirmed they had no complaint from Parmar on record. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) also reported no complaints from him. The Bureau of Public Enterprises........