Ethics Case Studies Compilation (16 to 20) | UPSC Mains: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude PDF Download

Case -16

Q.16. Amit comes from a humble background. Her father was a teacher and my mother a housewife. He has been a smart student doing his engineering at IIT. He appeared on the Civil Services Examination and was selected for the Indian Revenue Service. Amit was sent to Mumbai on an important charge where he worked with several senior businessmen. Amit has always been an honest officer and has not fallen into the corrupt ways of his department. However, he had always been concerned about the marriage of his 26-year-old younger sister. His father had no money left over from the marriage because he had spent most of his money on Amit's education and training. After much work, Amit was able to find a sister for his fiancé and arrange for his wedding, which was to take place in a few months. He was also able to borrow money from a bank and borrow from his relatives to cover the expenses of the wedding. During Diwali, it is customary in India for inspectors (taxpayers) to send gifts to government officials. The spies would come to Amit's house or office and offer him Diwali greetings in a box of sweets or some other inexpensive gift. However, another inspector named Rajesh handed him a box, which contained expensive jewelry costing at least Rs 2 lakh. Amit knew there was a serious tax evasion case against Rajesh. What should Amit do?
1. He must keep the gift and proceed with the case against Rajesh in the usual way.
2. He should keep the gift and help Rajesh.
3. He should call Rajesh and give him back the gift.
4. He should call the CBI and arrest Rajesh.
Ans. The Central Public Service (Ethics) Central Act, 1964 prohibits Group A government officials from accepting any gift of more than Rs 1,500 at any time from their legal partner. If the gift amount exceeds this amount, he or she must obtain approval from the government. Amit is a Group A government official and cannot accept a gift of Rs 2 lakh without government approval. In such cases, he cannot expect the government to allow him to keep a gift that is so expensive.
1. If Amit accepts a gift, the inspector can expect some favor from him. If Amit continues the investigation impartially, the inspector may speak in public about the gift and tarnish the image of the official. In addition, keeping an expensive gift can be a violation of morality and may even require disciplinary action. This is not the right choice.
2. When Amit accepts a gift and controls the case, he commits corruption. Therefore, this option is also not a valid option.
3. Amit should call Rajesh to tell him the rules of conduct and return the gift to him politely. This is the right choice in terms of ethics.
4. A gift is not like a bribe. Rajesh never wanted the case dismissed in lieu of a gift, and Amit never demanded a bribe. Rajesh cannot be blamed for not knowing or following the rules because giving a gift at times like Diwali is not corruption. It is also allowed if the price is within the specified limit of Rs1,500 or if the department has approved a gift of a higher value. There is no need to call the CBI in this case because no corruption case can be filed against Rajesh for giving a gift. However, if Rajesh refuses to return the gift, the CBI may be notified.

Case -17

Q17. Anita is an engineer from a middle-class family. Her father is a driver for a low-paying company. However, her family always encouraged her to study. He joined an advanced engineering college based on his achievements and graduated from the top of his class. In the end, you get a good gift from a coal-fired power station with a good salary. Now he plans to support his father and pay off his debts. However, soon after joining, you come to realize that the ethical standards of the coal company are very bad. The sole purpose of the company's top executives is to maximize profits. One of the ways the company is reducing its costs is by shutting down Electrostatic Smoke Precipitators (ESPs), a device used to separate coal ash from chimney smoke, for a few hours a day. ESPs consume a lot of energy and the company saves a lot of money by shutting it down. However, switching off ESPs leads to very high levels of pollution in the area and causes respiratory problems for people in neighboring villages. Anita discussed the matter with her colleagues, and she was advised to keep her mouth shut because instructions were coming down to senior management. If Anita made an issue about ESPs, her colleague warned, she would probably be fired from the company. The colleague also mentioned the names of employees who had previously been fired for the same issue.
1. Should Anita continue or raise the issue with senior management?
2. What are the different options available to Anita? Discuss and forgive each option.
Ans. It is the duty of every citizen of the country to follow the law and work for the welfare of citizens. If Anita finds out that the company does not follow government policies and harms public health, she should not keep quiet. Instead, he should do all he can to fulfill his role as a citizen and as a worker.
He might consider the following options:
1. He may approach the relevant authorities and try to convince them of the serious effects of pollution on many people, nearby villages, and company employees. He can cite examples where some companies were fined or closed by the government and the courts after the local community protested against corruption involving the media or other relevant government departments.
2. If the management does not agree, Anita may discuss the matter with other close friends and ask them to take up the matter with local residents and nearby NGOs, who may organize protest rallies and force management to rectify the situation.
3. He may also attempt to gather evidence to extinguish ESPs and increase pollution in the area from time to time. This can be done by measuring the levels of pollution at different times of the day using appropriate materials. Such evidence may be compiled and passed on to the appropriate governmental authorities for appropriate action. He or she may post a complaint anonymously or with a friend to avoid getting into a picture.
4. He should also try to find another job even before he is fired from the company. He or she must not work for a company that does not follow ethics and remain indifferent to its activities in the community.

Case -18

Q.18. Meenakshi completed his MBA and joined a private bank as an investment officer. His job is to get investment from the top customers of the bank. He was given a list of 200 customers and was asked to persuade them to invest in various banking products. You will receive a bonus for receiving the investment and will be tracked immediately for promotion. He is very happy with the job and keeps calling customers to convince them to invest in the bank. He even visits them at their homes on the weekends to explain the benefits of various investment plans. However, you soon find that many clients are happy to keep their money in fixed deposits and have no interest in risk-based investment portfolios and mutual funds. One of the clients, Rajeev, a big businessman, shows a deep interest in her. He calls Meenakshi regularly at home and spends a lot of time with him under the guise of understanding different investment products. One day, he invites her to his dinner and promises to sign a large investment check after dinner. Meenakshi knows Rajeev's wife will not be home. She does not feel comfortable going to her house at night. However, he also desperately needs his investment to meet his goal, keep his job, and be promoted.
1. Should he go to his house for dinner?
2. What are the different options? Configure each option.
Ans. If Meenakshi knows Rajeev's wife is not at home, she should not go to dinner at night. He must clearly distinguish his personal and professional life. It would be acceptable to join him for dinner at a party with a large number of guests. However, if he is invited alone, it is not appropriate for Rajeev to invite a woman to his home and he should not accept such an invitation. You have the following options.
1. He may simply refuse to call her again. This can be very disrespectful and not a good option.
2. She could tell him that she had made a commitment earlier that night but would come to her office the next day to pick up the check. This would be a decent option, but he should be lying. In addition, he may be called again in the future by the client and may not be able to give the same excuses all the time.
3. He can politely reject her. He can tell the truth and say he can't come to his house at night for dinner because it won't be okay. This may irritate the customer and may not give him business. However, there is a good chance that the client can understand her and will not invite her back into her home. This is the most appropriate and appropriate option for him.

Case -19

Q.19. Narendra comes from a middle-class family in Uttar Pradesh. Her father was a clerk and my mother a housewife. He was smart in his studies and after graduating from the University of Allahabad, he did a Civil Services Examination and was selected for the Indian Police Service (IPS). Narendra was soon appointed Superintendent of Police (SP) in the district. He was an honest, loyal, and courageous prince who quickly gained the reputation of being a brave and incorruptible officer. He seized several vehicles loaded with stones and sand dug illegally and soon became enraged at the sand mafia. One day, Narendra was on her official jeep when she saw a tractor full of rocks. He passed it and motioned for the driver to stop. When the driver did not move, he fell again and this time he stopped in front of the car to stop. However, the driver of the tractor, instead of stopping the car, ran and crashed into Narendra's car and pressed her under the wheels. Narendra was rushed to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. A senior official at a press conference said the mining crowd working in the area was responsible for the incident. The driver was arrested and referred to SIT for investigation. Illegal mines have been rampant in his province for many years now, but this is the first time a police officer has been killed, creating fear among IPS police in the province. Narendra's wife was pregnant at the time of the incident. The family is devastated by the incident.
1. Was it right for Narendra to pass the tractor and park the car in front of it?
2. What mistakes did Narendra make?
3. What would you have done if you had been an IPS officer instead of Narendra?
Ans. It is important for a public servant to be patient and plan everything before he is killed. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had said, 'Give me six hours to cut down the tree and spend the first four hours sharpening an ax.' .
1. In this situation, Narendra appears to have been motivated by emotions rather than thinking and planning. He had to avoid the hasty act of forcing his car in front of a tractor. It is possible that the driver panicked and crashed the car, killing the SP unintentionally.
2. The IPS officer, who has, has a large number of police officers. Narendra had to take the police with her and try to arrest and prosecute the main criminal. Narendra should not have tried to walk alone or park the car in front of the tractor because the tractor is much more powerful and powerful than a government car. A small government vehicle was about to collide.
3. If I had seen a tractor carrying illegal stones, I would have followed the car closely to find out where the stones were brought. Finding the place where the stones were brought would have led to massive stone transport, as well as evidence against the mafia that was causing the illegal activity. At that point, I would have called a large police team right there. We were going to cross-examine the driver and other people right there in order to gather more evidence about the main suspects. I would have carried out more attacks on all areas of the sand mafia and struck syndicates.

Case -20

Q.20. Manish is an IAS official from a middle-class family in Assam. After becoming an IAS official, she began receiving numerous marriage proposals. He eventually married the daughter of an influential businessman. His wife came from a very wealthy family. Her mother used to stay with her, even though she did not get along with her daughter-in-law. The two women were always fighting. After a few years of service, Manish was finally appointed District Magistrate in an important district of his district. A few weeks later, however, he suddenly became unresponsive. A few days later, her body was found next to the train with a suicide note in her pocket. In the suicide note, Mansh said he committed suicide because of an argument between his mother and his wife. He also wrote that his wife was an angry, aggressive person who was outgoing and peaceable. He also recorded a video before his suicide in which he spoke of how tired he was of his life due to the constant arguments of his mother and wife. In the video he also said that no one should be blamed for his suicide and that he had lost his zeal for life.
1. Who is to blame for Manish's suicide?
2. If you were a close friend of Manish and thought that he was suicidal, what advice would you have given?
Ans. It is not uncommon in India for civil servants to get marriage proposals from very wealthy and influential families. They also earn a lot of lobola when they get married and marry girls from rich families who are accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle. Most Indian parents are very close to their children and the children, too, love and respect their parents very much because they often make great sacrifices to provide them with the best resources to support their studies and work. After the marriage, however, the wife also needs her husband's attention. This often leads to family conflicts.
1. In this case, Manish's wife came from a very wealthy family. He was accustomed to a life of luxury and grew up in a different culture. He too was secretive and his attitude was very different from Manish's. He had to marry a girl from the same cultural and economic background and share his common values. It was also wrong for his wife to rule over him and his family and to have an impact on his parents. However, no one was directly responsible for the suicide except Manish himself, who failed to maintain his balance and chose to commit suicide.
2. If I were a friend of Manish, I would first advise him to marry the girl he loves or has sex with, rather than marry someone who is better. If I were to get a glimpse of his suicide, I would advise him to spend more time with his family and to try to reconcile the differences between his wife and his mother. If that didn't work I would suggest that she ask her parents to go back to her grandparents. I would advise Manish to build a relationship with his wife and convince her to respect her parents and behave well. If his wife were to continue to misbehave and Manish realized that he was not compatible with her, I would advise her to divorce and marry a girl who shares her values and respects her parents.