Case Study Mr. Siddhant is the chairman of a cultural organization under the central government. The organization has a historical and cultural legacy. Recently he has been charged with the responsibility of organizing an international event by involving artists from different countries. For this event, he has roped in a famous personality from Bollywood as the brand ambassador and face of the event. This has helped in popularising the program at a wide scale and also in the generation of revenue. However, in the mid of the preparation, a female singer artist came in front of the media and accused the Bollywood personality of sexual harassment 10 years ago when she was a minor and searching for work. This accusation has sparked controversy and protest by the public. People are raising their voices against his involvement in the event. Meanwhile, the National Commission of Women has also approached Mr. Siddhant and demands the removal of the Brand Ambassador. Mr. Siddhant is in mid of the finalization of the event and all the preparations regarding inviting people from different parts of the world, their accommodation, etc have already been done. Initially, his consciousness pushed him to do something in this regard but because of external pressure, he is not sure about the right course of action. With reference to the above case study– (a) What arguments can you give him to show that keeping quiet is not morally right? (b) What course of action would you advise him to adopt and why?

You are the Managing Director of Metro Rail Corporation (MRC) of a metropolitan city and you have received orders and funding for construction of the metro track and a parking space in a densely forested area of the city with houses of few underprivileged families as well in it. For the construction, the forest has to be cleared and the families have to be moved to some other place. The locals have started a protest after knowing about the order. They are highly raged about cutting down thousands of trees and the affected families have also joined them because the forest holds emotional value for them. On the other hand, the minister who directly controls the MRC is pressuring you to start the felling process as soon as possible. You know that going against his orders will have serious repercussions. (a) What are the ethical issues involved and the options available to you in such a situation? (b) Also, suggest a course of action you would like to follow.

Case Study Ramesh Verma is the District Mining Officer (DMO) in a mineral-rich but economically backward district. The region has long struggled with illegal sand and stone mining, controlled by local contractors with strong political backing. These activities cause environmental damage, loss of state revenue, and frequent accidents involving villagers. Soon after joining, Ramesh noticed that illegal mining continued openly at night despite repeated complaints. When he ordered surprise inspections and seizure of vehicles, he received a phone call from a local legislator, who advised him to “go slow” in the interest of maintaining social peace and employment. Informally, Ramesh was told by senior colleagues that previous officers who acted strictly were transferred within months. Over time, a clear nexus emerged. Local politicians protected mining operators, the police avoided registering cases, and criminal groups ensured intimidation of villagers who protested. In return, illegal operators funded election campaigns and paid regular bribes to officials at multiple levels. Files related to mining violations were deliberately delayed or diluted in the district offices. One evening, a serious accident occurred when an overloaded mining truck hit a group of villagers, killing two people. Public anger erupted, and media attention focused on the administration’s failure. Political leaders blamed “rogue elements” and pressured Ramesh to certify that the truck was operating legally. Ramesh now faces a critical ethical dilemma. If he records the truth and initiates strict action, he risks political pressure, personal threats, and possible transfer. If he compromises, he becomes part of the political–bureaucratic–criminal nexus, undermining the rule of law, environmental protection, and public trust. As a public servant, Ramesh must decide how to uphold integrity, legality, and accountability in an environment where institutional support appears weak and vested interests are deeply entrenched. Q.1 Identify the ethical issues involved in the above case. Q.2 How does the political–bureaucratic–criminal nexus affect public interest, environmental governance, and the credibility of public institutions? Q.3 What should be the most ethically appropriate course of action in this case? Suggest both immediate administrative steps and long-term institutional reforms to prevent the recurrence of such political–bureaucratic–criminal nexuses.

You are an auditor with a government department. Your son is starting a business and for that, he needs a large amount of loan from a bank you are auditing. But he couldn’t secure a loan from the bank because of his bad CIBIL score. Moreover, you cannot take the loan as the amount far exceeds your salary range. When you scrutinize the accounts of the bank, you find that its balance sheet has hidden stressed assets. However, one Assistant General Manager of the bank offers you help in return of favour that you do not reveal the balance sheet of the bank. What are the values in conflict in the above situation? What are the various options before you? Also, provide justification for each of the option.

Case Study Suppose you are the Superintendent of Police in a district. The state has experienced an increase in communal riots in the past few months. A recent incident occurred in a small village. Mud houses were set on fire. Geeta and her daughter Roopa, who was three and a half years old, fled the village after violence broke out. Once they reached a nearby village, they were attacked by a group of people. Geeta and her daughter were brutally raped and murdered, and the local police have refused to register the case as two police stations are bordered by the area where the bodies were found. Locals from the village and relatives of the deceased are protesting and accusing the police of negligence and demanding the arrest of the offender with strong political backing. However, your senior calls you and asks you to conceal and distort the truth. (a) Identify the stakeholders and various dimensions of the crisis involved in the issue. (b) What would be the course of action taken by you to manage the situation as a Superintendent of Police? Identify measures that can be taken to prevent rapes

Case Study Arvind Mehta, a senior public servant, currently heads the Budget Division in the Ministry of Finance. His division is presently involved in allocating budgetary support to various states, four of which are scheduled to hold assembly elections within the current financial year. As per the latest Union Budget, more than Rs 8,300 crore was allocated to the National Housing Scheme (NHS), a key centrally sponsored welfare programme aimed at providing affordable housing to weaker sections. By June, Rs 775 crore had already been disbursed under the scheme. Parallelly, the Ministry of Commerce had been pursuing the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in a southern state to promote exports. After nearly two years of consultation between the Centre and the state, the Union Cabinet gave its approval in August, and the process for acquiring land has since begun. In another development, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) had proposed a natural gas processing plant in a northern state to support the regional gas grid, an essential element of the country's energy security strategy. The land for the project is already available, and after three rounds of global bidding, the contract was awarded to M/s XYZ Hydrocarbons, a multinational company. The first tranche of payment is scheduled for December. To meet the funding requirements of these two major development projects, an additional Rs 6,000 crore is required. It has been proposed that this amount be re-appropriated from the NHS budget. The file seeking approval for this re-allocation was sent to the Budget Division for examination and processing. On reviewing the file, Arvind Mehta became concerned. He realised that diverting funds from the NHS could delay its implementation, a scheme widely promoted by senior political figures and closely linked to electoral commitments. On the other hand, delaying fund allocation to the SEZ and the gas plant could lead to significant financial losses and reputational damage at both national and international levels. Upon raising the issue with his superiors, Arvind was advised that the matter is politically sensitive and must be expedited without delay. Question: a) Identify the ethical issues involved in reallocating funds from a welfare programme to development projects. b) In light of the responsibility to ensure prudent use of public resources, what options are available to Arvind Mehta? Would resigning from his post be a reasonable or ethical course of action?

Case Study You are posted as a District Magistrate. You come to know about a situation in the village under your jurisdiction where the population is suffering from Anaemia. An initiative was taken to provide fortified rice to villagers in order to provide nutrition to them but villagers deny to eat them as they have the misconception of the rice being the plastic rice. On the other hand, the village is also influenced by the Leftist movement and you get to know that Naxalites are using this public perception for their own benefit, making it more difficult for the government to reach the people. An alternate initiative was taken by providing iron tablets to people but it created another misconception among villagers that these tablets lead to more weight of babies in pregnant mothers leading to delivery complications. Thus, it also ended in failure. (a) What are the various issues involved in the above case study? (b) How will you change the perception of the people in the backdrop of the spread of misinformation by the Naxalites?