India yet to ratify UN pact against graft

India stands out as one of the few countries in the world that have not acceded to the United Nations convention against corruption. This convention, which came into force in 2005, has 140 countries on its list. India, which regularly battles corruption of mammoth proportions and now faces a groundswell of protests against governmental inaction, is not. India signed the convention in 2005 but the UPA government, particularly the department of personnel and training (DoPT), has steadfastly refused to ratify it. Over the years, the external affairs ministry (which is the nodal ministry for international treaties), has been pushing the government to ratify the convention. The official reason is that India has not yet brought its domestic laws in line with the international convention. But it has been six years and the government has shown little interest in making India less prone to corruption. India’s stand is particularly strange since many Indian diplomats helped pilot the convention through the UN. Acceding to the convention could have made it easier for India to bring back the billions of dollars in illgotten wealth that are stashed overseas. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has found himself in complex negotiations with Leichtenstein, Switzerland and Germany to bring back stolen assets. Under the convention, asset recovery is a fundamental principle, Article 51 provides for return of assets to countries of origin as a fundamental principle of this convention.