What is meant by public interest? What are the principles and procedures to be followed by the civil…

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What is meant by public interest? What are the principles and procedures to be followed by the civil servants in public interest?

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Public interest is the welfare of the community as a whole, including the voiceless and future generations, as distinct from private or sectional gain. Civil servants serve it through constitutional allegiance, Nolan-style objectivity and procedures such as natural justice, declared conflicts of interest and written, reasoned orders.

**Introduction**

Public interest is the welfare of the community as a whole, as distinct from the private interest of a person, a group or the officer himself. Walter Lippmann saw it as what people "would choose if they saw clearly, thought rationally, acted disinterestedly and benevolently".

**What Public Interest Means**

1. **Not mere majority**: It includes the voiceless and future generations, which is why Gandhi's talisman asks us to recall the poorest person.
2. **Balanced against rights**: Section 8(2) of the RTI Act uses it to override exemptions, yet Puttaswamy (2017) requires any state action to be proportionate.

**Principles Civil Servants Must Follow**

1. **Constitutional allegiance**: The Draft Public Services Bill, 2007 lists allegiance to the Constitution, good governance and apolitical functioning as core values.
2. **Selflessness and objectivity**: Nolan's principles demand decisions on merit and evidence alone, without favour to kin, caste or party.
3. **Concern for the weakest**: Rawls's difference principle and Antyodaya ask that public choices benefit the least advantaged.

**Procedures to Serve Public Interest**

SKETCH: flow | Public-Interest Decision Path
- Facts on record
- Check legal mandate
- Hear affected parties
- Reasoned speaking order
- Disclose and review

1. **Natural justice**: Hearing affected parties and avoiding bias give effect to the fair procedure of Maneka Gandhi (1978).
2. **Declare conflicts**: The 2014 amendment to the AIS (Conduct) Rules makes officers declare private interests and resolve conflicts to protect the public interest.
3. **Written instructions**: T.S.R. Subramanian (2013) asked officers to act on written orders so responsibility can be traced.

**Conclusion**

Public interest is a discipline of honest motive, fair process and care for the weakest; when procedures make it verifiable, the civil servant becomes the public's trustee.

What is meant by public interest? What are the principles and procedures to be followed by the civil servants in public interest?

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