GS4 · UPSC Mains
Abha is currently working as the DM of a district. One day, she went to a village for inspecting the progress of a certain village development project. Abha was not satisfied with the pace of the work and wanted to talk with the Sarpanch of the village about the same. Abha went to the panchayat office where she found the Sarpanch standing just outside the office. The Sarpanch greeted Abha and offered her a seat. Abha sat down and started discussing the matter with the Sarpanch. She noticed that Sarpanch was still standing. She thought that Sarpanch was not sitting because of hesitation or out of respect for the officer. She requested him to take a seat but he reluctantly sat on a wooden stool. Abha jokingly asked him if he liked the stool so much that he chose it instead of a chair, to which the Sarpanch replied that he was not allowed to sit on a chair as he belonged to a Dalit community. Abha was taken aback by this response. Abha enquired further about the issue. The sarpanch explained that since the Sarpanch position was reserved for SC community, he won the election. But despite being the official head of the panchayat, he did not have any power. He was neither allowed to enter the panchayat office nor was given access to official documents. A separate water pot was kept for him outside the office and he was not allowed to use the common water pot. He worked as a rubber stamp who merely signed the given document. He went on to tell Abha that last year he was not even allowed to hoist the national flag during the Independence Day celebration. Abha was shocked about hearing the kind of discrimination that the Sarpanch faced. On the basis of this case study answer the following questions: 1) Why do caste-based discriminations still persist even after 75 years of independence? 2) Examine the various ethical issues involved in this case. 3) Identify various stakeholders and their responsibilities for creating an egalitarian society.
GS4 · Case studies on the above issues
| Topper | Rank | Source | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ch Aswani Kumar | AIR 256 · 2025 | Forumias | p.49 |
| Garima Lohia | — | Forumias | p.45 |
| Rahul Srivastava | — | Forumias | p.49 |