At the heart of the debate over institutional integrity lies a question: How should a bureaucrat do the right thing? When the indelible ink of elections loses its sanctity, bridges collapse, and food and drugs are adulterated, what should guide a civil servant? If Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya were alive today, what advice would they offer those entrusted with public office?
The Mahatma’s most frequently cited counsel is: “Whenever you are in doubt, or when the ‘self’ (ego) begins to overpower you, apply this test. Recall the face of the poorest and weakest person you have ever seen, and ask yourself if the step you are about to take will benefit them. Will they gain anything from it? Will it restore their control over their own life and destiny?” Gandhi viewed public office as a form of trusteeship, with power and funds held in trust for the people, especially the poorest. When rules governing electoral rolls are tweaked, officials must remember the vulnerable citizen who, lacking a school-leaving certificate, stands in line with her Aadhaar card in a plastic bag, asking to be counted.
As home minister, Shastri recognised the influence of recommendations in public administration. He reportedly observed that senior civil servants could quote rules admirably but rarely thought ahead or innovated. He knew officers by name and made a point of addressing them accordingly. For Shastri, virtue mattered more than power. Access to government services should not depend on recommendations or proximity to VIPs; no one should be able to jump the queue because of privilege.
For Patel, the courage to speak one’s mind was an essential qualification for a civil servant. His law secretary, Shavak A Lal, once prepared a legal opinion on an issue raised by Lord Mountbatten but hesitated to present it, fearing it might contradict Patel’s views. On learning of this, Patel reportedly asked, “Does the government pay you for your dishonest opinion? Giving an honest opinion is your job; accepting or rejecting it is mine.” He expected secretaries to record their views even when these differed from his own, and believed that those afraid to do so should leave their jobs. Patel’s commitment to integrity extended beyond the file. V Shankar, an ICS officer who served as his private secretary from 1946 until Patel’s final days, recounted an incident from the turbulent months after Partition. On learning that a mob had gathered at the shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya in Delhi, Patel went there with Shankar. He walked around the shrine, questioned people and warned the police that they would be dismissed if further trouble occurred. The episode illustrates the qualities he expected of officials: Integrity under pressure and the willingness to act promptly to uphold law and order and protect minorities.
For Upadhyaya, antyodaya — the upliftment of the last person — was the central imperative. His philosophy offers civil servants a clear ethical compass: Measure every decision by its impact on the most disadvantaged; treat public office as dharma, not merely a career; strengthen local institutions; and remain morally independent of both political parties and bureaucratic files. Faced with an ethical dilemma, an official must ask: Whom do we serve?
That remains the essential question — and one we must answer if we are to restore public trust in institutions.
Nilay is the author of Being Good, Aaiye, Insaan Banaen and Ethikos. He teaches and conducts training courses on ethics, values and behaviour
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