GS4 · UPSC Mains

Kuldeep is an honest senior officer working in Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in one of the states in Western India. The state has been in news for a trend of increasing drug usage among the youth. One day, he received a tip-off regarding a drug party. He conducted a raid and detained all the persons present on the venue. One of the detainees was Raghav, the son of a wealthy and politically connected businessman. He was in an intoxicated state and misbehaved with the NCB personnel on duty, warning them of dire consequences for detaining him. During frisking, Raghav was found to be in possession of contraband drugs. He was arrested and this news went viral on social media. Soon after the arrest, Kuldeep received a call from his senior who asked Kuldeep to apprise him of the case. During the conversation his senior dropped a subtle hint that as Raghav is a well-connected individual, going after him could be a career damaging case for Mr. Kuldeep and he should quietly settle the case for his own good. Kuldeep understood that his senior wanted him to drop charges against Raghav and set him free. However, Kuldeep has decided to pursue the case and follow the law. Few days after the arrest, a case was filed by Raghav's father alleging that Kuldeep has asked for money in return of dropping case against his son. Some people on social media have raised doubt on educational qualification of Kuldeep and few have made even distasteful remarks on his personal life. These allegations were widely covered in electronic media putting Kuldeep and his entire family under immense psychological pressure. In response to the allegations, the government has setup an inquiry panel to look into the matter. The inquiry panel promptly seeks Kuldeep's explanation. Some of the options available with Kuldeep to handle this situation could be as follows: a) Kuldeep can present his case to the inquiry panel and go soft on the investigation of the case. b) Kuldeep can present his case to the inquiry panel and continue firmly with the case. c) Kuldeep can ignore the inquiry panel and directly approach the media with the case findings and his side of the story. Suggest any other possible option(s) that can be availed by Kuldeep. Evaluate all of them and suggest the best course of action, giving reasons for it. (250 words,

20 marks · 250 words · 3 toppers answered this · seen 2023

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