You are working as an executive in a nationalized bank for several years. One day one of your close colleagues tells you that her father is suffering from heart disease and needs surgery to survive. She also tells you that she has no insurance and the operation will cost about Rs 10 lakh. You are also aware of the fact that her husband is no more and that she is from a lower middle class family. You are empathetic about her situation. However, apart from expressing your sympathy, you do not have the resources to fund her. A few weeks later, you ask her about the well-being of her father and she informs you about his successful surgery and that he is recovering. She then confides in you that the bank manager was kind enough to facilitate the release of 10 lakhs from a dormant account of someone to pay for the operation with a promise that it should be confidential and be repaid at the earliest. She has already started paying it back and will continue to do so until it is all returned.(a) What are the ethical issues involved?(b) Evaluate the behavior of the bank manager from an ethical point of view.(c) How would you react to the situation?
What the examiner wants
A colleague's father's surgery was paid with ₹10 lakh released by the bank manager from someone else's dormant account, to be repaid quietly. Identify issues, judge the manager, and decide your response.
Demand-wise check
- 1(a) Ethical issues: misuse of depositors' money, breach of fiduciary trust, compassion vs law, confidentiality vs duty to report, risk to the colleague≈65 words
- 2(b) Manager: motive was compassionate, but the act is fraud and criminal breach of trust; good intent does not make it right≈65 words
- 3(c) Your response: talk to the colleague, advise her to disclose and repay through proper channels; report the matter to higher authority or vigilance; help her find legal help (loan, crowdfunding, schemes)≈65 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- Saying nothing should be done because the money is being returned
- Ignoring sub-part (b)'s evaluation of the manager
Draw this
- Stakeholder map: account holder, bank, colleague, manager, you
Value addition
- LawCriminal breach of trust by a banker is punishable under Section 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (earlier Section 409 IPC).Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
- SchemeAyushman Bharat PM-JAY gives health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for eligible families, an honest alternative route.National Health Authority
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 35 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Aakash Garg · AIR 5 · Page 33 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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