12-12-2025 Mains Question Answer
You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee in a Government office working as an assistant to the director of your department. Since you have joined recently, you need to learn and progress. Luckily your superior is very kind and ready to train you for your job. He is a very intelligent and well-informed person having knowledge of various departments. In short, you respect your boss and are looking forward to learn a lot from him. Since you have good tuning with the boss, he started depending on you. One day due to ill health he invited you at his place for finishing some urgent work. You reached his house and before you could ring the bell you heard shouting noises. You waited for a while. After entering the house the boss greeted you and explained the work. But you were constantly disturbed by the crying of a woman. At last, you inquired with the boss but his answer did not satisfy you. Next day, you were compelled to inquire further in the office and found out that his behavior is very bad at home with his wife. He also beats up his wife. His wife is not well educated and is a simple woman in comparison to her husband. You see that though your boss is a nice person in the office, he is engaged in domestic violence at home. In such a situation, you are left with the following options. Analyse each option with its consequences. (a) just ignore thinking about it because it is their personal matter. (b) Report the case to the appropriate authority. (c) Your own innovative approach towards the situation.
The case reflects the ethical conflict between personal loyalty and social responsibility. According to Aristotle’s virtue ethics, a good person must uphold both personal integrity and justice. Similarly, Kant’s duty ethics asserts that one must act on principles that can be universalised — allowing domestic violence to continue contradicts the moral duty to protect vulnerable individuals. Domestic violence is not a “private issue” but a violation of human dignity and basic rights.
Stakeholders
- The assistant (you).
- The boss (director of department).
- The wife (victim of domestic violence).
- Office staff and department.
- Legal and administrative authorities.
- Society at large (norms around violence and gender justice).
Ethical Issues Involved
- Professional loyalty vs moral courage.
- Complicity vs responsibility in reporting wrongdoing.
- Protection of vulnerable persons vs maintaining workplace harmony.
- Integrity in public service vs personal comfort or fear of consequences.
- Abuse of power by an educated, influential male over a vulnerable woman.
Options Available
Option (a): Ignore the matter, considering it a personal family issue.
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Option (b): Report the case to the appropriate authority (Internal Complaints Committee, police, or senior officers).
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Option (c): Adopt an innovative, balanced, and humane approach.
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Best Course of Action
Option (c) is the most ethical and balanced approach, with elements of Option (b) used if required.
- Discreetly speak to the wife (through a woman colleague or counsellor) to understand her situation without causing risk to her safety.
- Encourage her to access support services, such as Women’s Helpline, Protection Officers under DV Act, or local NGOs.
- Suggest marital/anger management counselling for the boss through HR wellness programs or family counselling services.
- Document concerns privately in case the situation escalates later legally.
- If violence continues or becomes severe, escalate to appropriate authorities (senior officer/ICC/Police) with evidence.
- Ensure confidentiality to avoid creating office hostility or harming the wife further.
- Maintain professionalism at the workplace, while upholding moral duty to prevent harm.
This method balances ethical courage, compassion, professional prudence, and protection of the vulnerable woman.
IPS officer Dr. Kiran Bedi demonstrated through her prison reforms that “power must protect, not harm.” Domestic violence is not a private matter, it is a violation of dignity and a breach of law. A true public servant must uphold both humanity and justice, acting with courage, sensitivity, and fairness. A balanced, humane, and ethically grounded intervention ensures that integrity is preserved while protecting the rights of the victim.