UPSC Mains 2015 · GS IV · Q3(a) · 10 marks · 150 words

“A mere compliance with law is not enough, the public servant also has to have a well-developed sensibility to ethical issues for effective discharge of duties.” Do you agree? Explain with the help of two examples, where (i) an act is ethically right, but not legally and (ii) an act is legally right, but not ethically.

हिन्दी में

“केवल कानून का अनुपालन ही काफ़ी नहीं है, लोक सेवक में, अपने कर्तव्यों के प्रभावी पालन करने के लिए, नैतिक मुद्दों पर एक सुविकसित संवेदन-शक्ति का होना भी आवश्यक है।” क्या आप सहमत हैं? दो उदाहरणों की सहायता से स्पष्ट कीजिए, जहाँ (i) कृत्य नैतिकतः सही है, परंतु वैध रूप से सही नहीं है तथा (ii) कृत्य वैध रूप से सही है, परंतु नैतिकतः सही नहीं है।

Law and MoralitySources of Ethical Guidance

How a topper answered the closest question

Toppers wrote this one in a test series: “For a public servant to fulfill his ethical obligations, it is important that there be no dichotomy between his personal ethics and public ethics. Analyze.”

Aishwarya VermaAIR 4 · CSE 2021 · 133 wordsTheir whole copy

Opening · a definition

personal ethics are those that are evaluated at personal level and guides the right or wrong conduct at individual level.

Public ethics are those that are manifested in public domain to uphold the ethical standards of work & society. Dichotomy b/w personal & public ethics can cause:

Body · points and prose

overlapping section shaded

  • Left circle: Personal ethics
  • Right circle: Public ethics
  • Under Personal ethics list:
    • loyalty
    • loving
    • mercy
  • Under Public ethics list:
    • honesty
    • integrity
    • objective
    • selflessness
  • Arrow from the overlap area pointing to text: For a civil servant more overlap is better

Dichotomy b/w personal & public ethics can cause:

  1. loss of conviction in actions. eg: if a civil servant supports gender discrimination at home, it is bound to get reflected in public domain.

  2. Lack of credibility: The actions of public servant loses public trust if synergy in public and personal life is missing

  3. leads to Identity crisis for public official leading to frustration.

  4. Lack of it leads to calmness in action and thoughts.

Close · a way forward

In such a scenario proper training at regular intervals can help a long way in civil services reforms.

2 more toppers’ answers to this question, part by part, and how they all approached it: open the question.

Toppers’ answers to other close questions

Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Main) Examination 2015, General Studies Paper IV, Q3(a). The paper on upsc.gov.in. Themes and links to toppers’ answers are by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.