Q7. Tapasya, a young and dynamic District Panchayat CEO from the 2018 IAS batch, was recently appointed to a new district. Eager to understand the ground realities and improve governance, she decided to visit various public institutions under her jurisdiction. During a surprise visit to a local school, she discovered that one of the teachers had been absent for over three hours. Given the critical role of teachers in shaping students’ future, Tapasya was deeply concerned about the potential negative impact of teacher absenteeism on students’ learning and growth. To set an example and to enforce accountability, Tapasya decided to suspend the teacher for two months as a disciplinary measure. The teacher, however, visited Tapasya’s office the next day and explained her situation, revealing that she is a single mother and had been forced to take her four-year-old child to the hospital that day due to a medical emergency. Despite this explanation, Tapasya remained skeptical, suspecting that the teacher was trying to fabricate a story to escape suspension. A few days later, the same teacher returned to Tapasya’s office, attempting to give the office peon an envelope containing money in an apparent attempt to bribe her to reverse the suspension order. Tapasya was shocked by the audacity of the act and immediately called for disciplinary action. The teacher’s behaviour raised concerns about her integrity and professional conduct, further complicating the situation. However, upon further investigation, it was confirmed that the teacher’s story about her child’s illness was indeed true. This discovery posed a deeper ethical dilemma for Tapasya. While she was disturbed by the teacher’s bribery attempt, she also realized that the teacher was facing significant personal challenges and may have resorted to desperate measures due to her vulnerable situation as a single mother. (20 M)
- Identify the ethical dilemmas involved in the case.
- What ethical principles should guide Tapasya in this case, and how can she balance the need for integrity with compassion?
- What options are available to Tapasya to tackle the situation mentioned above? Write its merit and demerit.
- Which option should Tapasya choose in the given circumstance? Justify your argument using ethical philosophies.
Difficulty Level: Medium
Why the question
Tests ethical decision-making in public administration involving conflict between integrity, compassion, and accountability, especially in real-life governance dilemmas.Key Demand of the question
The question requires identification of ethical dilemmas, application of ethical principles, evaluation of administrative options with merits/demerits, and justification of the best course using ethical philosophies.Structure of the Answer:
Introduction
Briefly define ethical dilemma in governance and highlight tension between rule-based administration and human compassion in public service.Body
- Ethical dilemmas: Conflict between enforcing discipline vs showing empathy in genuine hardship; issue of bribery vs mitigating circumstances; fairness vs suspicion.
- Ethical principles & balance: Application of integrity, justice, empathy and proportionality; need to ensure due process while being sensitive to personal vulnerabilities.
- Options with evaluation: Consider strict punishment, complete leniency, moderated action, or corrective approach; assess each in terms of accountability, deterrence, and human impact.
- Preferred option with philosophy: Choose balanced/proportionate action; justify using utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and deontological flexibility.
Conclusion
Emphasise need for ethical prudence—balancing rule of law with compassion to ensure just and humane governance.
