Whistleblowers should be given protection in India: Lokayukta

Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta (Ombudsman) Justice P P Naolekar wants that the whistleblowers should be given protection in India as in Philippines.

"There is a need to give protection to the whistleblowers to deal with corruption," Naolekar, a retired Supreme Court Judge told PTI today.

The Lokayukta's statement assumes significance in the wake of reports that whistleblowers were being hounded.

A whistleblower Satyendra Kumar Dubey, who was a project director at National Highways Authority of India, was murdered in November 2003 after he reportedly wrote a letter to the then Prime Minister about the high-level corruption in a road construction in Bihar.

"In Philippines, there was a law to give protection to the whistleblowers," Justice Naolekar said.

"We are working on this issue and will forward our suggestions to the State government. This work needs time," the Lokayukta said.

"There is a need to maintain secrecy on whistleblowers and he or she should be given some benefits in service career," he opined.

"The corruption from the society can be effectively checked if people shun paying bribes to get their work done in a hurry," Justice Naolekar suggested.

"If the people wait and follow procedure to get their work done, things will change," he said.