2016 · GS Paper 4 · Q12 · 20 marks
You are a young, aspiring and sincere employee working as an assistant to the director of your department in a government office. As you have just joined, you need to learn and progress. Fortunately your boss is very kind and is ready to train you for your work. He is highly intelligent and thorough professional, having knowledge of various departments. In short, you respect your boss and are keen to learn from him. As your rapport with your boss is good, he starts relying on you. One day, due to bad health, he calls you to his home to complete some urgent work. 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.
In short
Ignoring the abuse makes me complicit and reporting without the wife's consent may endanger her, so a victim-led, discreet and lawful approach is best. Section 4 of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 lets any person inform a Protection Officer in good faith.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 276 words
EVADE [Procedural-Evasive]
It preserves privacy, rapport and my early career.
Consequences
Abuse escalates, the wife stays isolated, and my silence is Bystander Apathy, like Bhishma before Draupadi, leaving a Crisis of Conscience.
CONFRONT [Strict-Legal]
Section 4 of the 2005 Domestic Violence Act lets anyone inform a Protection Officer in good faith without liability, and the boss may face conduct proceedings.
Consequences
Without her consent it may expose her to more violence and insecurity, and it strains my relationship on thin evidence.
RECONCILE ✓ [Balanced]
Speak to the wife privately about Helpline 181 and Sakhi One Stop Centres [scheme].
Her choice
Let her decide on counselling or a protection order, since only about one in seven victims seek help (NFHS-5).
Tactful engagement
Signal to the boss that I have noticed and suggest counselling.
Escalate if needed
Inform the Protection Officer if abuse persists, or the police, who must register an FIR under Lalita Kumari (2014) [case].
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This chapter in the exam
Personal, Family and Social-Norm Dilemmas6 questions
Asked in 4 of 14 sittings since 2013
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- 2017You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have cleared various stages and now you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venue you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help. What would you have done in such a situation ? Justify your action.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2016 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.