Ethics Case Study – 10_ Ethics in Personal and Publice Relationships _ INSIGHTS

8/10/2019 Ethics Case Study 10_ Ethics in Personal and Publice Relationships _ INSIGHTS

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2/27/2014 Ethics Case Study 10: Ethics In Personal and Publice Relationships | INSIGHTS

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39 responses to Ethics Case Study 10: Ethics In Personaland Publice Relationships

Ethics Case Study-19

DuskyOctober 6, 2 013 at 11 :18 am

One day she cam e to know conclusiv ely t hat Ranja n had taken bribes from some people. This stat ement clear ly in dicates

tha t she was cent percent sure of the inform ation.

Marriag e is a respectable institution and is built upon trust and faith upon each other. Knowing well th at Ranjan belied her

wh en sh e had qu estion ed him before , she is a lm ost sur e th at he does not w an t t o confr ont her reg ar ding th is issue. Bei ng boun d

wi th eac h ot her , she needs to be c au ti ous en ough in h er appr oach an d m ust mak e up her m ind to gu ide h im to a ri gh teou s pat h.

Had I been in her position, I would hav e clearly told him about the details I hav e gather ed regarding his involv ement in fav our

and bribery and at the same time informed him about my decision of not staying with him from then itself. He now is not the

same man I had loved and this pain is much more than seeing him behind the bars. With this note, I would stay away from him

till the time he realizes his mistake. Being an emotional human being first, I am almost sure he would understand the worth of

us stay ing together a s a support to each other.

One may doubt my assertion of not taking a legal action against him but I stand with m y belief that in m any untoward

situations, more than a forceful conviction, human sentiments win over a persons temporary imbibed wrong traits. Had I not

been succ essful in m y ac tion , I wou ld h av e defin ite ly tr ied a str ict er l ega l w ay wi th proofs of fur th er embezzlem ent elic ited.

Reply

Blue ShotOctober 6, 2013 at 2:28 pm

While y ou w ai t for hi m to r eal ize h is mista ke, on his own . Th ere is an ar tic le i n t he new spaper wh ere th e m ul ti -crore mini ng

scam is leaked. The CVC puts corru ption charges on the two of you an d are suspended imm ediately . Since you can not bear

the shame, y ou murder y our husband and commit suicide the next day .

Reply

DuskyOctober 6, 2013 at 8:26 pm

One day she cam e to know conclusively tha t Ranjan h ad taken bribes from some people. She also comes to know that the

fav our for which Ranja n ha s compromised WOULD create a grea t loss to state exchequer.

@Blue Shot : The above statement clearly indicates that the loss would be made in near future if he acts according to the

wh im s of th e par ty bri bin g h im . He h as n ot tak en a ny ac ti on y et.

@Insights : Almost all my peers hav e written about taking action against the husband. I want to clarify m y doubt i.e.

How can I frame ch arges against him wh en it is certain that though he ha s accepted the favours, he is yet t o comm it a

blu nder ? Su mat i, being hi s wi fe has a moral du ty to gi v e him a c ha nce to r ect ify hi s mi stake before i t c omes out i n open .

Aw ait ing response.

Reply

NBOctober 7, 2013 at 12:46 a m

I agree with y our v iew Dusky, but let us discuss if we will do sam e thing if th ere is another IAS officer wher e we dont ha v e

any relation.

Reply

GauravOctober 11 , 2013 at 12 :54 am

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Yes, th is is possibly th e best an swer . My rea sons ar e

1. The act of emotional shaming to actually change the a ttitude of a person is very much supported by our judiciary . e.g.

Justice v erma panel did not reduce th e age of juv enile, also, he did not recomm end death sentence.

2. The answer conforms to the principle of hate the sin and not the sinner clearly indicating the fact that the candidate

think s on th e lines of Gandhi an d Buddha.

3. Th e answer also indicates the candidates understanding of hum an rela tionships. A wife has emotional bondage with her

husband she will alw ay s hesitate to harm him. Th erefore this answer indicates that the candidate is a realist and not a mora

preacher.

4. Th is also indicates the psychological resolv e of the can didate because she believes that her non-violent actions can actu ally

bri ng chan ge.

Reply

NikkuOctober 6, 201 3 at 1 2:00 pm

Facts:

1. Ranjan is involv ed in corruption.

2. Sum ati loves Ranjan an d their ma rriage might be troubled if Sumati decides to take any drastic step.

Sum ati, should confront Ranjan directly . She should place th e evidence tha t she has in front of her to Ranjan an d ask him to

explain t hose.

There ar e several possibilities then:1. Ranjan accepts his fault and agrees to change.

2. Ranjan accepts his fault , but ask Sum ati to ignore this one off incident.

2. Ranjan is defiant.

In the 1st ca se, Sumat i needs to support Ranjan w hile he confesses before the anti corru ption agency of the state, and th e

repercussion tha t follow th ereafter.

In the 2nd case, Suma ti needs to conv ince Ranjan to submit before the anti corruption agency . A crim e is a crim e, and it is best

to serve the punishment and then come out with a clear conscience.

In the 3rd case, Sumati needs to tell Ranjan that his defiant attitude might force her to go to the anti corruption agency herself

and submit t he proofs that she has with her. She should express her lov e for Ranjan, bu t at t he same tim e remind him of his

duty and morals. She should explain him that despite the threat t o their marr iage, Ranjans defiant att itude is not leav ing her

wi th muc h opt ion.

She should try and get Ranja n to case 1, but if not possible, she has to take th e step of reporting the incident single handedly to

the an ti corruption agency and be prepared to face the consequences that m ight follow.

Her love for Ranjan should not come in the wa y of perform ing her dut y .

Reply

SomOctober 6, 2013 at 5:13 pm

Hey Vinay , Can we write answers like the above one in the CSE exam? Like putting facts in numbers and try ing to explain.

Or do they expect us alway s to conform t o the essay t y pe of answering.

Reply

NikkuOctober 6, 2013 at 6:54 pm

Not sure Som.

@Insights, please adv ise on th is aspect.

Reply

GauravOctober 1 1, 201 3 at 12:45 am

I am definitely going to writ e in this way only . My reasons are

1. Space is limited so beating a round the bush can ca use unnecessary constra ints.

2. I hav e tested and found writing in points saves time. My peers please confirm by doing th e same exercise.
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3. Point wise is ver y easy to check and a lso gives a good look. With th e possibility of answers to be put in a box th e scop

of diagrams are very limited. Alpha-numerics could add value presentation wise.

4. Of course there wil l be a lot of questions whose answers I wont know th ere I will writ e in essay ty pe style, to fill up

the space and if possible get sym pathy ma rks.

Reply

sachin mayekarOctober 6, 201 3 at 1 :04 pm

Here sumati h as to choose between her hu sband and her honesty towa rds the service. Both are of great importan ce to her. She

has to balance between her personal and public relat ionship. Every hum an being has a different na tur e and it differs in term s o

tempta tion too. And so is ranjan being tem pted by the r ich and wea lthy people in the division he is posted. But sum ati, h is wife,

is an exceptional case and made her ima ge as an uprigh t officer. Sum ati needs to understand th is difference in behavior an d

should take imm ediate steps to av oid such an irr esponsible behav iour of ranja n in futu re. Ranjan w ould natur ally lie of not

bein g c orr upt an d so sum at i shou ld g at her som e str ong pr oofs to ma ke h im feel g ui lty . Sh e coul d expla in h er hu sban d th at it is

just a sta rt of th eir careers a nd t hey ha v e a long goin g. An d by cr eat ing such a l oss to th e sta te exc hequer w ould pu t h im in a

hug e trouble or scam. It could also ruin his career, h is entire life and could spoil his ima ge as well as his self respect. She could

conv ince him tha t he could improve h imself as he has to still run a long wa y in his administrativ e career. Thus she could

improve her husband and at the same time sav e her mar riage life

Reply

SaritaOctober 6, 2013 at 2:18 pm

Sum ati in this case is in position of ethical dilem ma t o sav e her mar riage or to stand by h er duty as a responsible civil serva nt.

Ac cept ing expensiv e gi fts et c. by a g ovt ser v an t is pr ohibi ted( perm issible un der spec ia l ci rc um sta nces lik e at ti me of mar ri ag e

etc.) under CCS and AIS rules. Here, Sum ati ha d earlier also confronted her husband on accepting expensive gifts but he wa s

una ble to see any wrong in his actions. But now she has conclusiv e evidences to prove tha t he ha s taken bribe for undu e favour

to unscrupulous elements and this dealing can cause heavy loss to exchequer. Sumati should first confront Ranjan with all

proofs and should ask him to explain his behaviour in light of characteristics like impartiality, neutrality, which are expected

from a responsible civil servant. She should pursue him, to look at the long term disadvantages attached with such acts which

can bring him in ba d light an d will jeopardize their ma rria ge too as she stood for tr uth . She should conv ince him t o accept his

mistake on his own an d report m atter to his seniors, along wit h a r eport to cancel th e said dealing imm ediately . This action

though can brin g some punishment(like show cau se notice) for Ranjan but h is seniors would definitely be able to see larg er

picture of him sav ing depptt from unscru pulous companies and dealers. This way , she can help sav e her mar riage as well as

help her hu sband to follow righ teous path .

However, if Ranjan fails to do so, she should report m att er to v igilance deptt. becau se being a civ il serva nt it is her responsibility

to bring corrupt officials to book. She should not feel guilt y for her t his act as she had alrea dy giv en Ranjan, a ch ance to correct

his ways.

Insight a nd friends, please rev iew.

Reply

j.pattonOctober 6, 2013 at 2:36 pm

the options available to her are:

-First ,not to report th e mat ter as she truly loves her husband and want her marr iage to work.

consequences of such action m ay be

-loss to the state exchequer.

-to be nam ed as an accomplice in case the corru ption comes to light.

-the guilt w ill also star t affecting h er personal a nd professional work.

-Secondly to report the matter straight away to the police or concerned authorities and take the risk it may endanger her

marriage.

Here the best course for Sum ati would be to keep public interest over her personal int erest. As a civil serv ant she ha s a

responsibility t o serv e the people and the nat ion. Even though she is not comm itting t he crim e protecting h er husband would

make her equally guilty because she tried to cover the crime by not informing t he auth orities. At the same time she should be

there to provide emotional support to her hu sband. Howev er her h usband attit ude towards the incident and his desire to make

the m arriage work will determine whether the ma rriage will w ork or not. But she should not let this come in th e way of doing

her duty

Re l
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raghusharmagOctober 6, 201 3 at 2 :54 pm

06.10.2013:

10. Sumati:

A pu blic officer is req ui red both morally & pr ofessional ly to u phold t he publ ic i nt erest & di gn ity of his posit ion.

Present situat ion involv es a corru pt officer (Rajan) & a h onest officer(Sum ati) at bigger picture. Th e relation of sumat i with

rajan is under threat due to this conflict.

Situat ion dema nds Sumat i to show th e principle of professional responsibility & competence. a t first place ra ther tha n satisfying

self interest. The decision m aking skill & moral obligation need to be exercised

Sumati should immediately approach the higher authority & anti corruption mechanism to address the issue. This will result in

first, savin g of precious natu ral r esources from under u tilization or mal utilization. And second, Corru ption will not find

approval in social life & professional life.

Wit h r espect to h er persona l r ela ti on, Su mat i n eed to ta ke a ccount of ear lier lie or h idin g in form at ion(c orr upt iv e) by Raja n. She

should not let her decision to threaten their personal life. A consulatory mechanism/meet with Rajan regarding his fault of

deviat ing from professional, m oral & personal obligation should be taken t o sav e relation. But if in v ain, th an she should move

on in life considering she is competent & deserv ing honest person. In furtu re she migh t find better life part ner th an Rajan.

Reply

raghusharmagOctober 6, 2013 at 2:54 pm

frds & insight sir pls do review m y answer

Reply

Aditya JhaOctober 6, 2013 at 6:58 pm

Raghu, t he answer is sound in principle. It is ethical.

A consulatory mechanism/meet with Rajan regarding his fault . Consultatory mechanism is a term which is better

used in public relat ions. You could hav e just used the w ord discuss.

In my opinion please av oid the last line In furtu re she might find better life partner th an Rajan. . It is not necessary tha

their relation would be jeopardized. He may come out after a 3 year jail term and th ey m ay live ha ppily t hereafter.

Moreover, it does not sound good on th e part of any one in a rela tionship say ing so.

Reply

raghusharmagOctober 6, 2013 a t 7:30 pm

Ag reed adi ty a, i h ad dou bt w ith la st li nea s it i s not n ecessary th at she m ust hv life par tn er .. but i w ent ah ead wi th

it.

thks for discuss.i lost it durin g wr iting

Reply

Satish ChandraOctober 6, 201 3 at 3 :01 pm

Sum ath i should not allow her personal relationships to influence the discharge of her duties as a civ il serva nt. Moreov er, the

actions of her husband a re likely to inflict serious loss to the ex chequer. she, herself is a sincere officer an d inaction would ren der

her accomplice to the crime As she has sufficient ev idence to prove tha t raja n was inv olved in accepting bribes and tur ning a

bli nd ey e to il leg al mini ng , she shou ld con fron t h im an d dem an d an explana tion . Sh e shou ld w ar n h im of th e consequen ces tha t

wou ld foll ow if he did not mend h is wa y s an d per sua de him to

retur n th e gifts and confess his mis doings before the concerned aut hority . If Rajan does not oblige, she should prepare a r eport o

the wh ole matter a nd intima te it to Her senior officials and let the law t ake its course.
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Reply

Aditya JhaOctober 6, 2013 a t 7 :01 pm

Good answer Mr. Satish.

P.S. : Do y ou know tha t there wa s a comm ittee setup with y our nam e for civ il serv ices exam ination reforms Satish

Chandra Comittee 199 3?

Reply

Satish ChandraOctober 6, 2013 a t 7 :36 pm

hahah .. y a I do.. thanks for your comment bro

Reply

Satish ChandraOctober 6, 201 3 at 3 :03 pm

@INSIGHTS : please rev iew

Reply

vipu lOctober 6, 2013 at 3:22 pm

Wha t sh ould S um at i do kn owin g h er hu sban d is in v olv ed in gr aft an d her m ar ri ag e to h im migh t g et j eopar dized is she tak es a

drastic step?

If Suma ti ignores the bribe taken by his husband , he will again inv olve in such corrupt practices. Ranjan activ ities sooner or

later will invite department attention, an enquiry ma y be launched against him and he might ev en be put in to Jail. Sumati

ma y temporarily save h er relat ionship but both of them would be at loss in the end. Ignoring th e bribes episode is definitely n ot

the option considering t he long t erm consequences.

Sumati should confront her husband and persuade him to return the money. Relationships are based on mutual trust and

understanding. She should make him realize that he is involved in illegal practices and he could face jail term if gets caught.

She should make him feel that his actions may affect the family and she will be the biggest sufferer if he gets caught. If she fails

to persuade him then Ranja n is not respecting their personal relationship and a cting out of his selfishness.

Sumati can warn Ranjan that she will report his action to higher authorities if he fails to return the bribe. If Ranjan ignores

such wa rnings as well th en there is no question of holding back the informat ion .She should report th e mat ter to the high er

aut horities (DM). Being a public serv ant, it is her obligation to put commu nity interest above her personal interest. By

reporting the case, Sumati will be able to hold her moral values & discharge her duties with right conduct at the same time, she

can prev ent Ranjan from comm itting a serious economic offence.

Reply

neerajOctober 6, 201 3 at 4:00 pm

Personal and professional relat ions must be kept apar t.

The course of action depends upon if the said acts are being ta ken under h er jurisdiction. The first action should be to talk to

Ranjan and try to conv ince him that taking bribe is an illegal act. She can say that she loves him cau se he was honest, loving

and car ing. She ca n also give ex am ples of cases like IAS officers conv icted in case with Lalu. If he gets conv icted, it will mean a

lifetime of bad name associated with ev ery one who is related to him like his parents, wife and children. This will ma lign their

reputation in th eir respective public life and it will be very hard for them t o remove this stigma.

Secondly , if Ranjan s act fall within Su ma tis juridiction,its her duty to form ally inform her superiors about this act of graft and

ask them to form a n inquiry committ e. This will help Ranja n as it seems from th e langua ge of question tha t the deal has not

been fin al ised and i t m igh t h elp c ut th e deal a t i ts sour ce t her eby prev ent ing Ran jan from a possible gr aft .
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Satish ChandraOctober 6, 2013 at 8:09 pm

Dear Neeraj

y our an swer is good. Bu t i feel ment ionin g t he n am es of politi ca l pa rt ies or persons is n ot a good pra ct ice, inst ead of refer ri ng

to LALU y ou could say she could sight th e exam ples of convicted politicians . . y ou are a would be DIPLOMAT. so y our

answers should be diploma tic. only a suggestion. good luck

Reply

Aditya JhaOctober 6, 2013 at 6:46 pm

Case Study 1 0

Not complain ing about the bribes after a proper inquiry to the stat e gov ernm ent would amount t o nepotism an d a compromise

wi th int egr ity on the pa rt of Miss Sum at i; w her eas c omplai nin g m ay resu lt in a sentenc e for h er hu sban d an d a possible en d to

her m arried life.

Clearly she should file a complain a fter a proper inquiry . The fact th at Mr. Ranjan is her h usband should not deter her from

taking action. But before doing so, she m ust convince Mr. Rajan to go and surr ender him self before th e governm ent an d expose

the entire scam . This may result in reduced sentence for her hu sband and the mar ried life ma y n ot be jeopardized.

She is a public serv ant before being a wife. She must trea t every potentia l culprit with th e sam e uprightness. Integr ity is in the

code of ethics of a civil serv ant and should never be compromised.

Reply

Vijay PateriyaOctober 6, 2013 at 8:09 pm

Good one Adity a..

Reply

Satish ChandraOctober 6, 2013 at 8:30 pm

short and succinct an swer Mr. Adity a..

Reply

nikitaOctober 6, 2013 at 7 :43 pm

sumat i must 1 st talk to her husband she should really try har d to convince her h usband as he is also an officer before taking a ny

strict act ion or complaining sum ati m ust ma ke her hu sband realize what is good and bad and what will be its side effects as she

cannot risk her ma rried life and it m ay also result in some w orst consequences,but still if h e dosent give u p his wrong deeds then

sumati must go against her husband ,as duty comes first

Reply

Vijay PateriyaOctober 6, 2013 at 8:07 pm

No way for wait ing and talkin g as wrong has already been done, action is sure to come so either wa y t alking should only be

in option to win h is support to himself presenting t o inquiry instead of being initiat ed on the beha lf of Sum ati.

My Personal v iews.

Reply

Vijay Pateriya
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,

The issues at stake a re:

1.concealing th e bribery t aken by her hu sband although she knows the fact and let th e state exchequer looted and illegal

activities.

2.If she gathers a courage to take action her marriage lies on hanger.

For th e first case,being a public officer,she should abide by th e oath she has taken and m ust stand with in tregit y a nd honesty

thu s no other way but to herself initiate th e proceedings against the corrupt officer and try to obtain a nd detail out the proofs.

For other part,for her to thrash away her own ma rriage in th is sty le will be a burdensome task but liv ing with a person wh o is

corrupt,a public officer who has sold himself for ma terial ga ins.As is alrea dy m entioned that ear lier before being conclusive

about the ca se she tried to question at personal lev el to her husband but he h id the fact.This suggests that h e is no more ready to

hold back his steps going in wr ong direction.Thu s in his intrest to safeguard his honesty an d moral at titude from furt her

degradation she needs to take act ion.

As both t he option c oncludes in t ak ing ac tion ag ai nst him she m ust proceed.Howev er on e in nov at iv e way for h er w ould be to

hold one final talk with her husband but in personal capacity and try to conv ince him to himself reveal th e facts to his

imm ediate senior an d part to uphold the ru les of services and present himself to inquiry ,otherwise the complicat ions could

generat e lot of personal and official problems to him.

AN YBODY PLEA SE REVIEW!

Reply

Aditya JhaOctober 6, 2013 at 9:1 5 pm

Ag ree wi th Sat ish. Rest is g ood. If num era ls ca n be av oided in th e an swer , doin g so wou ld m ak e th e an swer look a coher ent

one.

Reply

Satish ChandraOctober 6, 201 3 at 8:28 pm

Dear Vijay ,

A g ood answ er. I felt i ts a bit too len gt hy . A pproach is good. t he th ird par ag ra ph c ould be tri mmed. A lso, she is of th e sam e ra nk

as him , she cannot initiate proceedings against him, instead she could refer the matter to the higher authorities.

just m y v iew s. tak e them positiv ely . g ood luck

Reply

Vijay PateriyaOctober 7 , 2013 at 4:41 am

Than ks for kind feedbackpls do continu e

By initia ting proceeding i was try ing to mean was to step in the mat ter complaining to higher aut horities y es the sentance

looks an odd one.. I will tr y to be condensed towards word lim it.

thanks once more Mr. Satish and A ditya.

Thanks to every one participating on this forum and ma king it so intresting and motivating.

Reply

rupamOctober 6, 2013 at 1 0:11 pm

The dilemma inv olved in this case is between saving t he ma rriage / m aintaining the r elationship intact , and to perform duty

towards people and hence n ation.

If an action is illegal or imm oral , its the duty of every huma n being to stand against it in his capacity ,notwithstanding who ha

done it .Moreover, w hen both the parties viz. Suma ti and Ranjan, inv olved here are mean t to show highest order of integrity

bein g pu bli c ser v an ts, Sum at i is oug ht to per form her du ty wi th out bein g a ppreh ensiv e of th e consequ enc es th at migh t fol low.

Such a situa tion demands from h er the following:

1.To re uest ask Ran an not to take bribe from a ersonal relationshi context or
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2.Report th e mat ter to a senior officer, say District Magistra te , regar ding his acts of bribery .

However, since Ranjans compromise can lead to heav y loss to the exchequer, it would be quite ethica l for her to go for th e secon

option, as this matt er needs to be dealt strictl y .

A bett er w ay coul d be t o report th e m at ter to the senior officer in a secr et w ay i.e Ran jan sh ould n ot g et a wa re of i t a nd

simultaneousy ,Sumati should keep persuading Ranjan not to indulge in such acts.In this way, Sumati can peform her official a

well as per sonal responsi bili ties.

Thus Ranjans activ ities could be investigat ed and checked and exchequer could be sav ed and at the same tim e Sumat is

marriage or relationship could be left intact.

Reply

rupamOctober 6, 2013 at 1 0:35 pm

Modified:

The dilemma inv olved in this case is between saving th e marr iage / mainta ining the relationship intact , a nd to perform

duty towards people and hence nation.

If an action is illegal or imm oral , its the duty of every hum an being to stand against it in his capacity ,notwithstanding who

has done it .Moreover, w hen both the parties viz. Suma ti and Ranjan, inv olved here are mean t to show highest order of

integrit y being public serv ant s,Sumat i is ought to perform her duty with out being apprehensiv e of the consequences tha t

might follow.

Such a situation demands from her the following:

1 .To request/ask Ranjan not to take bribe and to confess his crime to concerned authority ; otherwise

2.Report th e mat ter to a senior officer, say District Magistra te , regar ding his acts of bribery .

If first option above, does not work,a better way could be to report the m atter to the senior officer in a secret way i.e Ranjan

should not get aware of it. Sumati , reporting the matter without her husbands knowledge cant be said to be a betrayal as

Consequentialism or Teleological v iew of Ethics say s that the act is ethical if its outcomes are good .

In this way , Sum ati ca n peform her official as well as personal r esponsibilities.

Thus Ranjans activ ities could be investigat ed and checked and exchequer could be sav ed and at the same time Sum atis

marriage or relationship could be left intact.

Reply

ChetanOctober 7, 2013 at 8:49 am

personal marraige v/s allegiance to perform constitutional function?

Marriage and y our duty as a SDM are two separate entities. Marriage owes its sanctity from culture , w hereas Sumatis duty is

confined to letter a nd spirit of the Constitution wher e protection public tr ust is one of the v ital component. Na tur al resources ar

to be used for na tional dev elopment .

Position: Sum ati is convinced of involv ement of Ranjan in g raft. As both w ork in the sam e district in different sub-divisions ,

both ha v e th e sam e DM as t hei r su peri or. N eed to v eri fy th e in v olv em ent of th e DM in i nfl uen cin g Ranja n.

Try to conv ince Ranjan about his Constitutional dut y em phasizing on integrit y , probity of being a civil serv ant. If Ranjan not

convinced, report to DM about shortcomings in the rev enue realization in th e district.

Since inv olvem ent of local political, mu scle, money power cannot be ignored. Requesting to make a detailed report about

revenue mobilization capacity of the district.

Reply

Asha Gou dOctober 7 , 2013 at 10:18 am

Both Su ma ti an d Ranjan love each other so there is ample scope for one to one tal ks and discussion instead of taking a ex trem e

step that m ay prove fatal to her mar riage.

Sum ati should try to first find out w hether Ranjan is under a ny sort of pressure from powerful people. If it is so then she should

help him find a solution. They can inform the higher authorities.

If he is not under pressure a nd acting in his own discretion, she should tell him about th e facts she came to know about h is way o

functioning a nd how it would jeopardize interest of the state.

She should try t o conv ince Ranjan to take his decision back and act according to law. She should mak e him rea lize that such a ct

are bound to be uneart hed someday and th ey both will face th e consequence in such situa tion. He should be remin ded of his
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htt //i i ht i di /2013/10/06/ thi t d 10 thi i l bli l ti hi / 10

uties as an o i cer an t at i s i r st pr ior ity s ou e serv i ce to t e peop e an n ot par ti cu ar c ass. I Ran jan i s a e to

understand Sumati and is ready to take back his action and hence forth act in an upright manner, it is well and good.

Otherwise Sumati should make it clear to Ranjan that she is not comfortable with his attitude. She should simultaneously

inform the higher a uthorities in the district about th e irregularities and request for an inquiry into the matter.

Reply

sujitOctober 7, 201 3 at 5:31 pm

The case is one of great dilemm a for Sumat i as she is an upright officer who is in deep lov e with h er husband and he in tu rn is

involved in unfair practices.

By ta king bribe Ranja n has compromised his professional integrity and it amount to unbecoming a civil serv ant. Furt her tha t

fav our done by h im w ould cause loss to stat e exchequer, h e is also involved in corrupt m eans for priv ate ga ins. And this was

done inspite of him being constantly confronted by his wife means tha t he was not under any pressure from min ing ma fia to

indulge in such acts.

Sumati must convince Ranjan to report this matter himself to higher aut hority a nd let an inquiry be conducted so that illegal

mining activ ities can be curbed and all wh o are guilty are brought to book.

If Ranjan is not willing t o bow down, Sumati should straight awa y av ail a proper channel and report th e matt er to higher

aut hority . There is this risk that in al l possibility she m ight endang er her ma rria ge. But the institut ion of marr iage is based on

the principle of trust an d it is the responsibility of both to deepen that tru st and not to breach it. It is not just Sum atis

responsibility t o sav e the m arr iage, Ranjan is equally responsible for th e relationship. It is he wh o has done the m istake.

Reply

GunnuOctober 8, 2013 at 1 :03 pm

As Su mat i and Ra nja n love ea ch other, Sum at i shou ld t ak e th e lea d/in iti at iv e in mak ing Ran jan u nder sta nd t he issue. It wou ld

not be an issue for her in ma king him realise the ill effects and repercussions of the gra ft he is accepting at th e moment a s the

LOVE would fill the gap between t heir th inking sty le and stand on corru ption(if any ). Also Sum ati would know how he ha s been

dragged into all th is-by ch oice or compulsion in the gam met of talks. Its important to note tha t she should not start complaining

and bombarding heav y w ords on him and instead talk over th is in a different way like praising the gifts he brings and then

slowly try to know the sources and then easily t alking u pon it. I think t his should be the wa y Su ma ti should try to resolve this

issue firstly . In case it does not work(w hose probability is less as Love is a lubr icant t hat would fill all t he gaps/voids and

smoothen t heir life), her role can cha nge from a w ife to an SDM and she knows the m anner this case can be resolved outside the

home premises as she cant compromise on th is issue at a ny point of time.

Reply

sudarshanaOctober 1 1, 2 013 at 12:59 am

Hi,friends, this is my first post.i just saw th is topic &was curious to give my v iew.Both &ranjan a re awa re of their duties yet

ranjan is taking bribe .It is a big fault.But ev erbody should be giv en a chan ce to improve. Sum ati should have a healthy open

discussion with him .She should tell him about h is liability t owards society , th e positon he ha s.As a ias officer ranjan w ill

definitely un derstand it.If even a fter it , he does not leave his activ ity a,ha rd action according to law should be taken.After all

she is an Ias officer who has some duties

Reply
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Ethics Case Study – 10_ Ethics in Personal and Publice Relationships _ INSIGHTS

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