CIAA Chief Suryanath Upadhyaya has begun to come under a new kind of "pressure". This time, his phones at home and work are ringing off the hook, not from people seeking favours, but from others urging him to extend his crackdown on corrupt officials.

Two weeks after the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) busted 22 revenue department officials, Upadhyaya is encouraged by the support. He told us in an interview: "I have had calls from many people, including politicians, and they've all congratulated us." CIAA officials are concerned about their safety, though they haven't received any overt threats. Upadhyaya and his team of in-house lawyers are now preparing formal charge sheets against the 22 officials, five of whom
are still at large.

How about criticism that the CIAA is not going after the big fish, and has let the political masters of corrupt bureaucrats go scot free? "I can't tell you what will come next, but we're not sitting idle," Upadhyay said. "No one is big or small for us. If the crime is serious enough, and we
have proper evidence, nothing will stop us from doing our job."

The 55-year-old former Secretary who has a law degree says that the CIAA could do with more resources and manpower, but it is not waiting for that to go after crooks. "It is the public support that has given us more confidence," he said.

The CIAA had the 22 mainly tax and customs officials under surveillance even before the king signed the anti-corruption act into law three weeks ago. And the moment the ordinance came into force, the CIAA swooped down on the homes of the officials to make the arrests and gather further evidence