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Ethics Case Study 2 Honesty and Integrity | INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS
BY INSIGHT S | SEPT EMBER 2 9 , 2 0 1 3 1 2 :5 2 PM

Ethics Case Study 2 Honesty and Integrity

Jay anth is a son-in-law of a local MLA and is now posted as block dev elopm ent officer in his father-in-laws constituency . He com es to
know that MLAs followers, who are m ainly sm all contractors and m any elected m em bers of Gram Panchay at, are hand in glov e
with local Panchay at officials in m isusing MGNREGA funds. He finds that each Panchay at secretary along with elected m em bers
hav e used m achines to com plete m any works under the schem e and siphoned off funds using fake job cards. He also finds out that all
this was done at the behest of his father-in-law, the local MLA. Now, the state gov ernm ent has taken cognizance of the issue after a
m edia report and has ordered inquiry into the scam .

Jay anth has to probe the m atter and file a report to higher authorities. His father-in-law is pressurizing him to file a false report as
he him self is under pressure from his followers, who if found guilty will be slapped with a crim inal case. Som e contractors hav e
contacted and requested him to not to m ention their nam es in the report in return for a hefty bribe. Som e Panchay at secretaries
hav e requested him to spare them as according to them Panchay at m em bers had coerced them into becom ing partners in
crim e. Jay anth is recently m arried and it is his first gov ernm ent job.
What should be his course of action? (200 Words)

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66 responses to Ethics Case Study 2 Honesty

and Integrity
Srini
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 2 :06 pm
Jay anth should not succum b to any kind of pressure (from father-in-law, bribe, etc) and m ust m aintain the highest lev el of
honesty and integrity in his work. He should subm it the detailed report on his findings im partially to the higher authorities.
Since there is a conflict of interest situation has risen here, Jay anth m ust also keep the higher authorities inform ed about the
relationship between him and the local MLA. He can also think of inform ing the higher authorities in a confidential m anner
regarding the pressures he had to handle from his father-in-law, his followers, contractors and panchay at secretaries.
Personally , Jay anth can try to persuade his father-in-law by explaining his situation and he does not want to com prom ise his
professional duties for his personal relations. To the panchay at secretaries, He needs to be v ery strict and show that he will nev er
allow any space for conscious m isbehav ior in their profession.
Reply

Sujeet
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 2 :2 8 pm
y ou hav e rightly pointed out conflict of intest situationa here, which in this case study m ust be highlighted. Rest of the
answers will perhapst be written by ev ery body .
Reply

NAWIN(naveen)
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 2 :3 8 pm
superbsrini
Reply

shashikanth
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 0:1 9 pm
There is no need for him to inform that it is his father-in-law who is the king pin. Prov ided he should v ery honest and
im partial with high lev el of integrity ..
At this point of tim e he cant persuade his F-I-L bcoz its high tim e the crim e has been com m itted.
Reply

Sujeet
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 2 :2 1 pm
Jay anth has to balance the professional integrity , and m aintain the public trust. There is no space of nepotism , and result of
im partial and objectiv e enquiry m ust be put in report subm itted to higher authorities. Pressure from Father in law, or recent
been m arried should not com e in as hurdle. And being the first job, the action will determ ine his attitude and will guide his
future behav ior. His wife should understand and appreciate the v alues and conscience of her husband and should not becom e
obstacle. Jay anth should uphold the ethical v alues of being a civ il serv ant and m ust not m anipulate the report, and m aintain
integrity by desisting from taking bribe. He should also rem ind contractor that try ing to giv e bribe to public serv ant will add
another crim inal case against him . Further whether claim of Panchay at secretary of being coerced by m em bers show the
failure of him to hav e reported it. Jay anth should take principle stand and set the course right, and uphold the law.
Reply

KS
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 2 :3 0 pm
Jay anth, at no point, should prov ide false report on the m atter. The report m ust bring the actual picture so that loopholes of
Schem e could be rectified in best possible way for the benefit of the concerned people.
He should effectiv ely separate the official working from the relativ es influence. Verbal assurance could be giv en to relativ es

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undue dem and but actual workincould be as per the righteous way .
Howev er, if not possible to cope with fam ily pressure, oJay anth can inform his higher officers and ask for shift of responsibility to
com m ittee.
Reply

Sujeet
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 2 :4 3 pm
if he is concerned that his behav iour in this situtationa cannot rem ain im partial, then he should recuse him self from enquiry ,
or highlight the conflict of interest to higher authority . I donot think there is need to hav e different behav iour in front of father
in law or giv e and present report contrary to what is being prom ised to him . It will only highlight the integrity deficit.
Reply

RV
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 3 :1 7 pm
Personal integrity , Professionalism and Honesty ought to define the working of any officer working at any lev el in the public
serv ices. Jay ant has the responsibility to expose the corrupt practices that are not only siphoning off funds illegally but also
dev oiding poor beneficiaries .
He should inform the higher authorities of the conflict of interest since his father in law is in question .If asked to continue he
should stand up to his father-in-law and hold him accountable for the irregularities in his constituency .Professionalism dictates
him to keep his fam ily m atters aside from his work and conduct his duties as per the law and should report his father-in-laws
illegal actions .Relationships are built on trust, sense of belongingness and not m oral coercions hence his m arriage should not
ben an im pedim ent in his line of duty .
He should strictly reprim and the panchay at m em bers and secretaries as they failed to do their constitutionally delegated work
without fav our and fear. Coercion should hav e been reported and strictly acted upon instead of colluding with the
m alpractioners .
Jay ant should be honest in his reporting and ev ery contractor big or sm all need to be suitably punished for their actions at this
stage.Any let off will only further m ake them confident in getting away on bigger scale later and erode public belief in justice
sy stem and further m ake them suspicious of political-officer nexus .
Reply

Arvind Patil
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 3 :4 8 pm
since this case inv olv es conflict of interest he should stay away from the probe and m ust ask his superiors to appoint another
officer to probe the m atter and also he should not try to either influence or affect the probe.
Reply

doc
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :50 am
This is the right answer!!
Reply

RV
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :1 0 am
Hi Arv ind i m entioned that he should inform his superiors first about clash of conflict and if asked to continue then
hav e charted out what he should do

Reply

Arvind Patil
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :1 2 pm
y es RV y ou are right but in m any cases whenev er the probing authority inform s the higher appointing authority of
the conflict of interest then they will appoint another officer to probe it.
Reply

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G. Sudarshan
October 1 7 , 2 01 3 at 3 :1 1 pm
I think dis is m uch better answer. Because u m entioned professional ethics, conflict of interest. but u can do it m uch better
than dis by m entioning constitutional m orality and the oath which he had taken at the tim e of joining.
Reply

vipul
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 4 :3 2 pm
It is a case of collusiv e corruption. Parties inv olv ed in the case hav e com m itted range of crim es as highlighted below:
o Misuse of gov ernm ent fund by Priv ate contractors
o Abuse of authority by the elected m em bers of Gram Panchay at & MLA
o Violation of code of conduct by the Panchay at Secretary
Claim of Panchay at secretaries that they had been coerced in to corrupt practices is unacceptable. They could hav e com e out as
whistle blowers and raised the alarm to prev ent such corrupt practices in initial stages itself.
Priv ate contractors hav e not only m isused the public fund but they are offering bribe to cov er up the case. Bribe giv ing is also a
crim e under the corruption acts of the country . Letting them go unpunished will only encourage them to indulge in m ore
corruption practices.
Finally , Jay anth report m ay consist of findings that can jeopardize his relationship with his father in law & fam ily m em bers.
Being a public serv ant, it is Jay anth duty look bey ond his selfish interest & highlight the corrupt practices that will benefit
public interest at large. In case, he is feeling pressure from fam ily m em bers, he can request the higher authorities to appoint a
neutral party to look in to the case, citing his conflict of interest.
Failing to report all these m isdeeds, Jay anth will not only v iolate the code of conduct as public serv ant but will agree to be
accom plice in corruption. Case has already been acknowledged by m edia & state gov ernm ent. Higher authorities m ay put his
inquiry report to further scrutiny after knowing the conflict of interest. Act of m isrepresenting the facts to his superiors can
further put his job at risk.
Being a Block dev elopm ent officer (a public serv ant), it is his duty to highlight the m al-practices in his report honestly with
com plete facts.
Reply

INSIGHTS
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :1 5 pm
Very good answer Vipul.
Reply

Santosh
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :04 pm
Ring the bells that still can ring . Forget y our perfect offering .There is a crack in ev ery thing .Thats how the lights gets in.
(add this one to ur final pr)gd ans Vipul
Reply

Paru Parvathi
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 5:1 3 pm
Being neutral and not reporting about the crim inals is itself a crim e. Its the duty of ev ery civ il serv ant to ensure that ev ery
rupee spent by gov t. is reaching the beneficiaries. As som e contractors hav e offered him bribe, Jay anth m ust add this too in the
report. Som e panchay at m em bers m entioned that they were coerced by others to becom e a part of crim e. This is not a reason to
giv e them a chance to escape because as public serv ants, they m ust not succum b to pressures at the cost of poor people. And
when it com es to relationship between Jay anth and MLA, civ il serv ant m ust be able to separate professional life and personal
life. He m ust treat ev ery one equally in professional life. He should explain his situation personally to his wife and father-in-law.
And recent m arriage and first gov t. job are not at all of concern because a civ il serv ant m ust behav e equally at all tim es.
Jay anth should report all m isdeeds to his higher authorities without giv ing exception to any one.
Reply

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Reply

Santosh
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :2 3 pm
Responsibility is the price of Greatness.The m axim um welfare for the m axim um people(being as a BDO m ake sure that let
the breads to reach poor, Panchay at Raj and prov iding em ploy m ent to v illagers was the dream of our father of nation,let
those dream s cum true);Sam asta Jananam Sukhino Bhav antu.
Reply

prasanna
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 5:3 1 pm
MGNREGA is a project initiated to help poor by prov iding em ploy m ent opportunities so that they can earn sum to sustain their
life. Purpose of inv olv ing hierarchy people like MLA, panchy ats and panchay at secretaries is to av oid m isuse of funds on giv ing
powers to contractors. The hierarchy is m ade out of peoples representativ es and officials salaried out of taxes paid by people. So
they are carry ing m oral responsibility in addition to the oaths taken by them while assum ing the post. If these people deny their
duties it affects poor people and ov erall growth of India. Using m achines and fake job cards was not happened accidentally or
ov ernight continued throughout the project consciously without any regret. Has any one of them would hav e thought about the
fate of poor or about draining their roles in safeguarding the rules situation m ight not hav e occurred
Taking all abov e points into consideration jay anth a block dev elopm ent officer appointed to probe the m isuse of funds should
rem em ber his professional ethics instead of personal relations while fram ing report. As report is going to decide fate of poor
people and hav e enough qualities to im pact on ov erall dev elopm ent of India. So MLA and gram panchay ats influence should be
m entioned. Panchy at secretaries v oice should be inv estigated on prov en coerciv e, it should be m entioned that they were forced
if not consciously inv olv ed in crim e. When com es to contractors they did wrong by using m achines still without regret they are
try ing to influence report on bribing. By this they continuing their m alpractices it should be m entioned in the report to
em phasis their attitudes.
Reply

INSIGHTS
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :1 8 pm
First paragraph is not needed. Hit the answer directly . We are not concerned about the schem e or its good intentions. Also
talk about hierarchy is not needed. In the question its im plied that there is a sy stem in place.
Reply

prasanna
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :2 1 pm
thanks insights
Reply

DD
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 5:4 0 pm
There is a custom prev alent in judiciary where a judge excuse him self from a case in which he has directly or indirectly v ested
interest. Hence, Jay anths first course of action should be to contact the higher authorities to excuse him self from the probe as
his relationship with MLA m ight ham per the inv estigation directly or indirectly . Ev en the report m ay not carry enough public
credibilty for his link with the accused parties.
But, in case the higher authorities refuses to withdraw him from inv estigating the case, then Jay anth should act as a
responsible public serv ant and not let personal relationship with MLA father-in-law eclipse his fine sense of judgem ent. He
should inv estigate the whole m atter thoroughly as it is in his report without being partial to any party whatsoev er. He is
accountable in the end to public not his relativ es.
Reply

jp
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 5:4 3 pm
Jay anth is facing dilem m a regarding his role at at least three lev els- personal, fam ily and public- of responsibilities. At personal

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Jay anth is facing dilem m a regarding his role at at least three lev els- personal, fam ily and public- of responsibilities. At personal
lev el he has take cognizance of his own concept of self self and conscience. Being a person with v alues of integrity , truthfulness
and justice he should recognize the right of entitled people and expose in inquiry what is reality . At fam ily lev el he has respect
for m em bers of fam ily and their needs and expectations. But here the person(MLA) who is requesting out of duty him self hasnt
fulfilled his duty and is in fact an accom plice in crim e. Hence, if his wife gets disturbed by his actions he has to conv ince her that
if his father-in-law is not a accom plice he would com e out neat but if there are som e m istakes done by him then he should be
m ade accountable. His father-in-law has to be m ade aware that he cant help him in such a gross m isbehav ior. At lev el of public
responsibility he is a public serv ant so his loy alties lies with public at large. And ev en by thinking m orally he com es to
conclusion that without fav or he will m ake report of inquiry keeping in m ind largest and just public good, because justice has to
be done to depriv ed people who are other otherwise entitled to benefits of MNAREGS benefits. He can m ake defaulters (like
contractors and secretaries) aware that thy hav e underestim ated the power of justice and their recurrent dem ands of dilution in
reports are illegal which will be reprim anded. Thus Jay anth will keep in m ind m axim of justice, utilitarianism and sacrifice for
larger public good.
Reply

Asha Goud
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 8:4 6 pm
I liked y our answer JP.
Reply

Aditya Jha
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 7 :53 pm
This is a clear case of a conflict between public duty and personal life.
Keeping in m ind the potential conflict of interest, he should first request the state gov ernm ent that the inquiry be conducted by
som e other officer. For, allegations m ay fall from sev eral quarters about the authenticity and m orality of the inv estigation.
If the request is accepted, then he should not interfere with the due process assuring his father-in-law that the law will take its
own course.
If howev er, the request is not accepted then he m ust look into the facts of the case im partially without fear or fav our, conducting
an honest inquiry . He should not bow under pressure from neither his father-in-law nor other officials and representativ es.
Upon the com pletion of the enquiry he should hand ov er the report to the higher authorities with a declaration that the inquiry
is objectiv e.
Here, Public duty m ust precede and outweigh personal life ev en if it entails sacrifices on his part or fam ily .
Reply

Aditya Jha
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 7 :59 pm
@insights
VKGB, Please rev iew the answer.
Btw, it feels good to call y ou VKGB.
Reply

INSIGHTS
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :2 1 pm

Good answer. As Asha pointed out, that point is im portant. And confidentiality is m ust in subm itting report. Not ev en
fam ily m em bers should know content of his report until its officially disclosed by the gov ernm ent itself.
Insights sounds good to m e:-) But y ou can call m e any thing, I dont m ind. But no Sir or Respected Sir.
Reply

Asha Goud
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Asha Goud
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 8:4 3 pm
Hi Adity a,
Answer is good.
As usual i hav e feedback. You did not m ention what should be his approach towards handling his father in law and the others
try ing to pressure him . Honesty is correct but how to apply it since here personal relations are inv olv ed.
The question asks his course of action.
Reply

Aditya Jha
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 1 1 :3 5 pm
You hav e a v alid point Asha. Thanks. I hav e m entioned about m y concerns in y our answer.
Reply

Naveen Shekhar
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 1 0:56 pm
Very good answer,Adity a
Reply

Aditya Jha
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 1 1 :2 2 pm
Thanks for the feedback Nav een.
Reply

ssreekanthreddy
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 7 :59 pm
The present case inv olv es Conflict of Interests, collusiv e Corruption and dereliction of duty by panchay at officials. Giv en that
the BDO is recently m arried, the potential for clash of his personal interests and professional interests is huge. In order to av oid
v iolation of code of ethics, it would be adv isable to inform the sam e to the higher ups who form ed the inquiry com m ittee and get
y ourself excused from it. But since y ou hav e witnessed first hand thee corruptiv e practices prev ailing at panchay at offices, it
would be appropriate to subm it the facts y ou know about the case and offer y our support in course of further inv estigation
process.
This being first gov ernm ent job, BDO has little experience with work flow processes in the departm ent. Hence there is need for
trusted and cooperativ e staff to effectiv ely fulfill his responsibilities.But this cant be a reason to exem pt from corruption charges.
To tackle this situation one needs to go into the genuineness of the claim s of being coerced on case to case basis and establish the
reasons for the sam e. This sort of inv estigation serv es two purposes. One is identification of sy stem ic deficiencies (like lack of
transparency and effectiv e whistle blowing m echanism s etc) which hav e m ade officials v ulnerable to get into corruption.
Secondly this can be used to appeal inquiry com m ission m aking a case for lesser punishm ent in case of m em bers who were
genuinely v ictim s of the sy stem ic deficiencies. This sort of action, I expect, would send a strong m essage that no corruption is
adm issible in departm ent and at sam e tim e would trust and cooperation of potentially honest people who, giv en certain support
from superiors, are willing to stav e off corruption.
Reply

Asha Goud
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 8:3 8 pm
I didnt get y our point in the second paragraph.
Reply

ssreekanthreddy
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :56 am
@Asha I guess I was too com plicated in presenting m y point in second para. But what I intended was that since this was

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his first job, he cant create a hostile env ironm ent in his office by ignoring the requests m ade by his subordinates
(panchay at officials) who com plained of coercion. There m ight be som e credibility in their argum ents. So what i
suggested was to hear out the argum ents m ade by the panchay at secretaries and bring out the deficiencies which hav e
enabled such coercion.
This sort of approach m ay help in im prov ing the processes and procedures in the dept which can prev ent any future
attem pts of coercions. At sam e I didnt suggest blanket exem ption for them . I just suggested m aking a case for those who
are genuinely coerced before the inquiry com m ission based on these findings.
Hope I was clear this tim e.
Reply

Vignesh babu
October 1 7 , 2 01 3 at 4 :4 8 pm
The second para stands out. Nice thinking.
Reply

Asha Goud
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 8:3 4 pm
What should be his course of action?
A: The m atter here inv olv es corruption in term s of m isuse of authority and also div ersion of public funds. Therefore considering
the com plexity of the situation, it would be apt for Jay anth to consult his seniors on the way inquiry should proceed. He should
clearly m ention about his relation with the local MLA and his possible inv olv em ent in the scam . He can suggest to form a
com m ittee of two to three of his colleagues to assist him to probe the m atter.
Jay anth should talk on personal lev el with his father in law and tell him that he has to carry out his duties as dem anded by job.
A inquiry would be conducted on the m atter accordance with law, if any discrepancies are unearthed it would be m entioned in
the report irrespectiv e of the person inv olv ed. Jay anth should be em phatic and assertiv e against any pressure put on him to act
against law.
The Panchay at Secretaries who are requesting Jay anth to spare them should be asked to cooperate with the inquiry conducted.
All the dim ensions inv olv ed in the scam would be thoroughly probed into and they would be prov ided to present their case before
the com m ittee.
Jay anth has to ensure he does not succum b to pressure for this purpose he should inv olv e him self in the probe in unbiased
m anner and to av oid entertaining further personal interactions with people inv olv ed in the scam .
Reply

Anjali
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 1 1 :2 0 pm
well balanced answer Asha
Reply

Aditya Jha
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 1 1 :3 3 pm
Asha,
Good answer.
The second last paragraph could be done away with. It is quite clear already when y ou m ention : assertiv e against any
pressure put on him to act against law.
I think in such questions one should conclude(or at least m ention) with the principles in question i.e. public duty v ersus
personal relations. Though they are im plicit in y our answer, y ou hav e not m entioned these key term s any where.
Finally , word lim it (2 2 8 words). I know its just a little abov e, but 2 8 words extra in each answer, m ultiplied by 1 2 questions
is not little.
You hav e fulfilled the dem and of the question. Keep it up!
Reply

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ssreekanthreddy
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :00 am
Clear and Balanced answer giv ing equal focus on all the issues inv olv ed in the case. .
Reply

Santosh
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :4 3 pm
Do y our duty thats ur beauty (to BDO)Asha, think n tk dcsn being as a BDO,decision should be one n followed by one stnd
by ,ur thoughts looks like com prom sng with corrupted party while perform ng ur duty ,as o i concrnd.tnx Asha
Reply

Sreekanth Soman
Septem ber 2 9 , 2 01 3 at 1 1 :2 3 pm
The MGNREGA funds are for prov iding wage em ploy m ent to the poor people. Siphoning off the funds by the m em bers and
officials in the Panchay at along with unscrupulous contractors is a crim inal offence as per the Prev ention of Corruption Act. The
contractors and the Panchay at m em bers hav e done this at the behest of the MLA, the father-in-law of Jay anth. Though Jay anth
knows the collusion between all the people inv olv ed, as the Block Dev elopm ent Officer, he cannot highlight the role of each
person inv olv ed without a crim inal inv estigation, usually done by the Police. He can nam e the Panchay at officials who hav e
cleared the MGNREGA works done and also the contractors.
The MLA would naturally pressurize Jay anth, his son in law to om it the nam es of the contractors from the report. But as the
Block Dev elopm ent Officer, Jay anth has to keep distinction between the public and personal spheres of his activ ities. He is
accountable to the gov ernm ent and also to the general public. In order to keep up his honesty and integrity in the job, Jay anth
should not be influenced by the pressures of the MLA or the bribes of the contractors or ev en the excuses of the Panchay at
officials. Since he knows a wider angle to this corruption, he should recom m end a detailed inv estigation by the police to bring
the perpetrators to the justice.
Reply

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Pavitra Giri
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 1 :04 am
jay anth ko kisi bhi prakar ke dabaav ke saam ne nahi jhukna chahiy e. use apni im aandari v a saty anishtha banay e rakhni
chahiy e. use apne pariv arik sam bandhon ke aage apni duty ke prati kartav y anishtha ko banay e rakhna chahiy e aur uske
saath poora ny ay karna chahiy e. v aise bhu jhuth ki um ra jy ada nahi hoti, y adi v eh galat report de bhi deta hai to bhav ishy a
m e kabhi na kabhi to v eh saam ne aay ega hi. ataha use apni im andaari banay e rakhni chahiy e. sarv apratham use apni patni
ko apne siddhanton ke baare m e sam jhana chahiy e taaki v eh apne pita ko bhi sam jha sake aur sway am bhi uske kaam m e
rukav at nahi daalegi. use sabhi contractors ity adi ko bhi keh dena chahiy e ki y adi v e us per dabaav banay enge to v eh unke
khilaah shikay at karega. panchay at adhikari ko bhi use apna kaam swatantrata se karne dene ke liy e kehna chahiy e. use
uchcha adhikariy on ko suchit karte rehna chahiy e aur MLA ke saath apne sam bandhon v a dabaav ke baare m e bhi soochit kar
dena chahiy e. use logon ke v ishv aas ko banay e rakhna chahiy e aur kisi prakar ka sam jhauta nahi karna chahiy e.
Reply

prerna
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 1 :52 pm
Firstly , Jay anth being offered a responsibility by the gov ernm ent to probe in the scam as part of his duty of being a public
serv ant he m ust take the responsibility and act honestly in order to help gov ernm ent punish those who am assed public wealth.
Secondly , it is an act of fooling gov ernm ent by creating a bogus job certificates, a stringent action on this is needed issue.
Secondly , offering or taking bribe is equally punishable so Jay anth can include the people who tried to influence him with bribe
as well in the report.
Jay anth being a public serv ant m ust act in the interest of public. He m ust not let his personal relations influence his
professional v alues and m ust act with honesty and integrity ; m ust giv e a correct report to the gov ernm ent by stating all the
people inv olv ed in the scam ev en if it is includes his father in law.

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Reply

Sabareesh P.a
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 2 :3 9 pm
Jay anth m ust keep in m ind that he is a serv ant of the people working for their welfare. Here siphoning of public funds m eant for
rural em ploy m ent has taken place and other peoples representativ es are a part of the corruption. Since his father in law is also
inv olv ed, the inv estigation m ust be in an utm ost transparent m anner, wherein a question of partiality m ust not arise. Regular
updates of inv estigation m ust be put in the public dom ain after the approv al of it from higher authorities.
He m ust try to m ake his wife understand about the situation inv olv ing her father. He m ust not accept the em otional m ethods
that can be exercised by his Father in law through his wife, to dilute the inv estigation.
The truth should prev ail and Jay anth m ust use the prov ision of law to recov er the illgotten m oney from all the corrupt
representativ es.
Reply

neeraj
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 7 :1 8 pm
Jay ant should tread carefully as any laxity on his part would bring into question his integrity .
Firstly , he should probe into the case with an unbiased approach and report his finding without any fear or fav or and not
succum b to pressure from his father in law.
Secondly , as far as contractors and their offer of bribe is concerned, Jay ant should giv e them stern warning not to allure him
with offer of bribe or he will write a written com plaint to his departm ent about their bribe offerings. Also, he should not let these
offers to, in any way , affect his judgm ent and should probe into m atter and nam es of all contractors who are found guilty of ill
doing should be recorded into the books.
Thirdly , as far as Panchay at Secretaries are concerned, Jay ant should ask them to cooperate with him to bring out the
irregularities against those concerned including Panchay at m em bers and assure them that in the probe if its found that they
hav e been coerced, they will be prov ided adequate protection.
In this way he can protect his integrity and probity and bring back confidence of people in the gov t.
Reply

Vijay Pateriya
Septem ber 3 0, 2 01 3 at 9 :3 3 pm
In public serv ices honesty and integrity needs to be prim e.In the abov e case MLA,Panchay at secretaries both hav e colluded with
priv ate contractors to siphon off gov ernm ents fund.Further offering bibery ,try ing to influence report ev ery thing com es in
serious radar.
Being public serv ant Jay anth need not to think of first job,fam ily etc.as practice of nepotism ,fav ouratism are com prom ise to the
task which has been entrusted upon him .He m ust abide by the duty honestly .Needs to enquire the case objectiv ely with all his
capablities and facts found should be reported clearly .
For his fam ily m em ber being a party in the case he m ust clear him (father-in-law)that as per law he has to act,inquire and
subm it his report,for if any m isdeed has taken place as highlighted in m edia it m ust be cured in public purpose.Here as a public
officer he m ust inspire and rem ind others(ev en wrong do-ers)about the integrity .
As for the secrateries griev ance he m ust detail them that it was not a correct choice to shake hands with them instead they could
hav e opted for breking the nexus.Further he m ust take them in to confidence and report their statem ents as support to his
enquiry .
Finally he m ust subm it a true and confidential report.
INSIGHTS and others please rev iew its m y first attem pt towards paper 5.
Reply

INSIGHTS
October 1 , 2 01 3 at 8:1 2 pm
Very good answer Vijay . But, Jay anth should warn Panchay at Secretaries instead of being polite with them and indeed he
should take action against them as they them selv es hav e confessed their inv olv em ent directly or indirectly in the crim e and
this should be objectiv ely recorded in his report.
Reply

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Vijay Pateriya
October 1 , 2 01 3 at 9 :07 pm
Thank y ou sir,..I m eant not polite but try ing to em phasize that their statem ent could be appended to the report as
ev idence.
Sir please tell if the flow was their in the answer or i am still m issing it.
Reply

Yogesh verma
October 2 , 2 01 3 at 1 :2 9 pm
Being an honest officer, jay anth should take scathing decision. he shouldnt com prom ise with his duty . action should be taken
against m em bers who had been doing for a long tim e and also som e try to giv e him bribe when it com es to relationship. jay anth
can m ake his spouse understand about his duty as well as big resposibility towards public fund which was em bazzeled by
contractors and gram panchay ts m em bers. Acc. to situation he should not worry about relation. A copy of report should be kept
along with him reason being m em bers who can giv e bribe him . they can also giv e bribe others to change the reports. Now, it
com es to fighting against corruption. m em bers who tried to giv e him bribe take serious action against them because after giv ing
bribe. they get free from report tension.They will take him undue adv antages further cases.
Reply

cs
October 2 , 2 01 3 at 3 :53 pm
a civ il serv ant is expected to possess the traits like honesty and integrity .
jay ant should proceed with an im partial probe and ensure objectiv ity in the entire exercise.
if the contractors persist in offering him bribe and the elected m em bers of the panchay at put pressure on him he can m ention
the sam e in his report.
jay ant should not be influenced by his father in law because this is not a personal m atter, it inv olv es the public m oney which
was wrongfully used.here he should think of the larger public good and the denial of their entitlem ent to the needy .
if his report im plicates the followers of his MLA father in law and results in adv erse consequences for him jay ant should not hold
him self responsible.he is only an instrum ent in the hand of the state and any other honest officer would hav e done the sam e.
he can discuss with his wife and explain her that he is bound by his duty and com m itm ent to public serv ice to represent the true
facts.
Reply

Muraleekar
October 5, 2 01 3 at 2 :02 am
Jay anth faces conflict of interest between his personal and professional v alues. Being a part of gov ernace a bureaucrat m ust
uphold the v alues of integrity and im partiality . But here the situation dem ands him to be an arbiter in the case where on of his
fam ily m em ber inv olv es, so he m ust approach his superiors on this inform ation and if asked to continue ev en after he m ust giv e
precedence to his bureaucratic v alues ov er his personal obligations.
He m ay conv ey his situation to his father in law and his wife and conv ince them to be cooperativ e in order to not to hav e
obstacles in his personal life. There should not be any lineance towards Panchay at secreteries who tried to bribe him , and m ust
assert his position as a public serv ant and intim idate them with the concesquences. He m ust be attentiv e to the com plaints on
his father in law by the others and look at the probe objectiv ely .
Reply

Nanda
October 2 0, 2 01 3 at 7 :2 6 pm
A crim e is a crim e whoev er does it and no m atter what happens law has to take its course.In this case if Jay ant succum bs to the
pressures from his father-in-law or his followers it am ounts to dereliction of his duty and he him self would be v iolating the faith
reposed on him by the gov ernm ent. Though it inv olv es em otional attachm ent , he should rather look it from the perspectiv e of
larger public interest. It rem inds the dilem m a of Arjuna before the Kurukshetra war where he had to face his own friends,
relativ es, teachers etc.But as adv ised by Krishna, our inaction am ounts to m ore irresponsible behav iour of the lawbreakers than
our action which is to take the course of Dharm a.Hence Jay anth has to take the course of the Dharm a i.e to file a correct report
with all the m alpractices and fraudulent activ ites that took place in the siphoning of funds and should follow the path of
Nishkam a karm a, with which he will be free from the consequences he is bound to face , be it long term distancing from his

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Nishkam a karm a, with which he will be free from the consequences he is bound to face , be it long term distancing from his
father-in-law.
Reply

Nanda
October 2 0, 2 01 3 at 7 :2 8 pm
INSIGHTS please rev iew
Reply

Amit
October 2 5, 2 01 3 at 1 1 :1 8 pm
He should do what is right and ethical. Here he m ust probe the m atter im partially and let the truth com e out. He m ust not
com prom ise because his father in law is inv olv ed in the m isdoing as m any tim e in life he m ay face sam e situation and what if
ev ery one start doing the sam e. Public serv ants only duty is to serv e public and do not loose their trust.
Reply

DJ
Nov em ber 8, 2 01 3 at 1 2 :03 am
Jay anth should perform his work sincerely , m aintaining public trust. It would help him getting cooperation of people in
preparing the report. He should reject the claim s of the Panchay at secretaries for being coerced since not reporting the coercion
itself is first step towards the anticipated crim e. Thus he should com plain the higher authorities that he is being pressurized and
bribed. He should prepare the report without bias towards any body including MLA a strong politician of the area or his fatherin-law, a close relativ e.
On the other front, Jay anth should talk to his wife conv incing her how m ingling his relations and work can affect his fam ily life.
It would m ake his wife understand the depth of situation. After all, support of fam ily strengthens the attitude towards work.
Reply

Amrita
Nov em ber 1 5, 2 01 3 at 5:3 9 pm
To be honest and a person of integrity is v ital for the proper functioning of any gov ernm ent official. In this case, as Jay anth is
BDO in his own father-in-laws constituency and has been asked to probe irregularities in which his father-in-law as MLA has
had a lead role, hence he should clearly disclose to state gov t that he is no position to conduct a probe here and rather, for full
im partiality of probe, any body else like Sub= Collector or Collector m ay kindly be entrusted with this responsibility as his own
relativ e seem ed to be inv olv ed.
This is, in m y opinion, the m ost im partial and objectiv e stand to be taken, as the person to be probed m ostly is Jay anths own
father-in-law and to ensure that no elem ent of doubt or im partiality can be pointed out about Jay anth, he should disclose his
relation and request higher authorities to take this up so that public accountability is m aintained, as this is now a public issue
with ev en the m edia reporting it.
@ INSIGHTS & other m em bers plz rev iew this! This is m y original writing and aftr I read others posts I realised that I should hv
included what Jay anth wd hav done if the probe was still giv n to him . Howev er, I wrote this m uch believ ing that ev en state
gov t wd not allow conflict of interest and so in any case a new officer wd b brought in for probe. How m ch wd this ans fetch out of
2 0 m arks?!
Reply

samyuktha
Nov em ber 2 8, 2 01 3 at 5:04 pm
jay anth should not giv e away task as he should perform the duty his best.first as an em ploy e,and citizens he should identify all
the illegal work done and has to file a case on the politicians and his own uncle since it deals with loss incurred by the
people.ev en though he is an own uncle he should not bent to that relation because m istake can be neglected,but the act to cheat
the people and get crores should not underv iew as it not only increases the corruption but also restrict the dev elopm ent of
country since the dev elopm ent program s do not reach to public.though he is newly m arried he should not accept the bribes since
a best wife lov es his husband bcoz of his loy lity ,correctness and his dedication towards his duties.and a best citizens who wants to
help from his side to society will not bent to gifts,bribes rather he tries to giv e his best.

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help from his side to society will not bent to gifts,bribes rather he tries to giv e his best.
Reply

Pri
Decem ber 6 , 2 01 3 at 6 :52 pm
There are certain principles which are basic tenets of civ il serv ices. Honesty , Integrity and being true to the work are
quintessential qualities expected from a public serv ant and no m atter what the pressure is, as there will alway s be som e kind of
it giv en the nature of work, Jay anth should not succum b to it. He should apprise the seniors of the relationship he shares with
the person in centre of this whole scam and assure them of his integrity and willingness to prepare the report. If the seniors are
fine with this disclosure and asks him to go ahead, he should go ahead and fulfill his duty with utm ost sincerity and keep the
integrity of the serv ice aliv e.
Reply

Nikita
Decem ber 1 0, 2 01 3 at 5:4 9 pm
As a civ il serv ant jay anth should do his work with honesty and integrity .he should be im personal while doing his job so ev en if
his father in law is inv olv ed in the crim e ,he should aptly scrutinise all the details and m ust work im partially while m aking the
report .To the other side if we see he is recently m arried and being honest in the job would ruin his new relations in which he just
entered,he should report to higher authorities about his relation with the person inv olv ed and request the higher authorities to
appoint another person in this case.And ev en the panchay at m em bers should be m ade aware of the fact that offering a bribe is
itself a crim e so they shall not inv olv e them selv es in other crim e too.Moreov er the panchay at m em bers shall also be told that no
further frauds will be accepted too.
Reply

Pavan
Decem ber 1 7 , 2 01 3 at 7 :1 1 pm
Short and Clear..Good attem pt.. Let m e say what I felt.. Pls dont feel otherwise..
1 . Panchay at m em ber shd be warned rather than just m aking them aware.
2 Jay anth cannot insist seniors to absolv e him from this duties. It is the sole preorogativ e of seniors. He should just inform
them abt the conflict of interest. Thats all.
3 Could v e added som e pts if he directly confronts FIL.
Pls hav e y our com m ents at m y ans also
Reply

GS
Decem ber 1 2 , 2 01 3 at 2 :4 9 am
Manrega program is run by gov erm net to stop the m igration of the people from v illage to any other place in serch of job,
In this case gov erm ent serv ent,MLA,Panchay at secretary and contactores are break the rule of gov erm ent and take the
personal benifit, Its a crim e, Jay ant should be confidently inform ed about the corruption and pressure of his father in law,
panchay at m em ber,panchay et secertery and contractor to the higher authority ,
Jay nat should be suggest his farher in law to leav e away from this ty pe of cases and explalain about hom to the
situation and his rsponsblity , He could not tolarate this ty pe of corruption of his work, He should giv e all the
guilty persone nam e to highr authory so that they can take action againest on this ty pe of ppeople,
So that in future no one can do this ty pe of corruption,
Reply

Pavan
Decem ber 1 3 , 2 01 3 at 4 :2 7 pm
Honesty , Integrity ,Professional ethics and Code of Conduct are the hallm arks in any public serv ice. Present case poses a threat
for Jay anth in adhering to the abov e principles/v alues in carry ing out his professional duty .Howev er, it is part and parcel of a
public serv ice and a honest public serv ant should not succum b to any threats/bribes/personal relations and do injustice to his
m andated duties and cause a breach of trust in the ey es of public. Keeping this in v iew, I suggest the following course of action.
1 . First of all, inform higher authorities regarding the conflict of interest between public duties and personal relationships
inv olv ed.
2 . If the higher authority giv es a go ahead signal, then he should prepare the report im partially without succum bing to any

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offers.
3 . Priv ate contractors hav e m isused the public funds causing great injustice to poor people and threatened the econom y of the
nation at large. Also ,bribing a public serv ant is a crim inal offence under PCA,1 9 88. So these aspects should find place in the
report.
4 . His FIL should be m ade aware that he is just carry ing out his public duties and there is nothing in person against him . Also,
since, he him self is a public functionary he would be aware of a civ il serv ant duties. Also, he cannot threaten him with dire
consequences because his daughter would also suffer by his acts.
5. Panchay at Secretaries are collusiv e with officials in corruption and hav e v iolated code of conduct. If they are really honest
they could v e blown the whistle and inform ed about this to higher authorites. So no lenience should be shown and their nam es
also should find place in the report.
6 . If there are life threatening calls/m sgs , Jay anth should inform about this to suitable authorites and ask them to prov ide
security if needed.
7 . Sticking to the abov e principles would also help in his career prospects.
Please rev iew . First attem pt
Reply

Nikita
Decem ber 1 5, 2 01 3 at 2 :4 0 pm
sir please could u please tell about m y answer also on this case study
Reply

soumya
Decem ber 2 6 , 2 01 3 at 1 2 :53 pm

First of all, Jay anta should talk to his father-in-law personally and thereafter a m eeting should be called upon by Jay anta
regarding all these fake jobs and what were the circum stances that prom pted them to take those steps. Then He should warn
them the consequences they m ight face if he files a report. Truly but not surprisingly , this m ight prov oke them . But Jay anta
should take steps with proper thinking. Thereafter, He should talk personally to father-in-law and explain him all the reasons
and why he cant file a false report. Thereafter, Jay anta should conv ince his father-in-law to follow the due course of law, and if
there were any one behind such heinous corruption, his father-in-law should nam e him . Thus finally , he should file a report
underly ing all facts truly and all the m isgov ernance and corruption that has taken place, on the other side he should take steps
so that punishm ent, if at all necessary to teh culprits m inim ised.
So, Jay anta will not com prom ise his honesty and integrity , and by following his course of action, he will prov e him self as resultoriented.
Reply

Shiji Chandu
January 7 , 2 01 4 at 1 2 :01 pm
Jay anta will not need to succum b the political pressure.He should m aintain his sincierity am ong publics.He tell the serious
truth about his father-in-law and his fam ily .In his official regardings he can take good decisions it will not hav e the need of
consideration of any relations.He should ask and giv e a com laint to higher authority .And check the MGNREGA works .Giv e a
list of currupted liscence and com laint.
Reply

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