Power, Privilege, and Plunder: The Rising Tide of Corruption Among the Children of India’s Powerful

Poonam Sharma

As India struggles to establish a transparent, accountable democracy, a disturbing trend is emerging — a series of money scandals surrounding the offspring of top public servants. From Kerala to Karnataka, a disturbing story is unfolding, one in which the children of the mighty seem to be gaining rewards not from excellence or innovation, but from proximity to political and bureaucratic influence. The current firestorm over Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter, T Veena, is merely the most recent and possibly most publicized installment in an expanding saga of entitlement, abuse of public trust, and dubious enrichment.

T Veena, whose now-defunct firm Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd is accused of having received Rs 2.7 crore from Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd without rendering any actual services, is facing investigation by several central agencies. With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) now all set to file a money laundering case in the wake of a Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) chargesheet, the scandal has struck the state’s political circle with a jolt. That this reportedly happened during the time her father was the head of the state government is what makes the situation queasy with implications of conflict of interest, political immunity, and appallingly poor oversight.

In neighbouring Karnataka, there was a scandal over the daughter of a retired Director General of Police (DGP) making national news just a short while back. The DGP’s daughter was accused of being found in possession of a large quantity of smuggled gold, leaving grave questions regarding why children of senior officials are not only defying laws — but also act with impunity many times. Even though the charges were so serious, it took a muted and slow course of action. Investigations were squashed or dissipated quietly, leading to popular outrage and questioning of the legal system.

These cases are symptomatic of a larger, systemic problem: **a culture of entitlement and impunity among India’s elite children**, where access to power corridors is used for self-aggrandizement. Whether it is bending rules to get questionable contracts, washing black money, operating shell firms, or leveraging their connections to stay out of the way of the law, the pattern is clear — the children of the powerful are using their family ties to live beyond the law.

This spreading malaise is particularly perilous in a democracy. Political leaders and high-ranking bureaucrats’ children appear to be playing shadow roles more and more within India’s politics and financial arena, sans a job and with no responsibility. With riches and influence within reach, they get engaged in industries that strangely do well only because of their surnames. Deals pour in without a competing bid, taxmen turn a blind eye, and probing agencies walk gingerly.

The true tragedy is not so much what these people did, but the **silence and complicity of their powerful parents**. It is one thing for a bureaucrat or politician to work for the public and make a career — but it is quite another to use their closeness to power as a springboard for corruption. All too often, those parents claim ignorance or that their children are lone operators. But when public office is employed to enable, shield, or turn a blind eye to bad deeds, it no longer is service and instead is complicity.

Public outrage is at a boiling point. Twitter and Facebook overflow with indignation, and citizens of Kerala and Karnataka — really, citizens throughout India — are demanding to know: **How long will this continue?** How many more Exalogics, how many more cases of smuggled gold, and how many more scions and daughters of the wealthy will be permitted to function in legal gray areas without penalty?

The judiciary and investigative bodies need to step up. But above all institutional action, what is urgently required is a moral reboot of India’s political and administrative elite. Public service should not translate into private gain for relatives. There has to be more transparency about the business activities of the children of senior officials. Mandatory disclosures, conflict-of-interest vetting, and robust whistleblower protection are needed.

Equally importantly, political parties have to get out of their hypocrisy. BJP, Congress, and regional heavyweights like CPI(M) have all had their party leaders’ kids involved in questionable activities. And yet, more often than not, their outrage is selective depending on who happens to be ruling. This cannot be a political issue — this is an issue of governance, a matter of morality, and an issue of public trust.

In a nation as diverse and aspirational as India, meritocracy and fairness must be non-negotiable. When the kids of the mighty are permitted to loot resources and misuse influence without check, it not only loots the exchequer but also dashes the dreams of millions of honest entrepreneurs, professionals, and civil servants.

T Veena’s case, as in that of the DGP’s daughter, should be a wake-up call — not only to law enforcement, but to the nation’s conscience.

India does not merely need new legislation. It needs a new ethics code for power-wielders — and those they bring up.