Aman, known for his impeccable honesty and integrity, has been appointed as the head of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate a controversial custodial death.
Kartavya Desk Staff
Q7. Aman, known for his impeccable honesty and integrity, has been appointed as the head of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate a controversial custodial death. The case centres on Gautam, a 28-year-old Dalit man, who allegedly died due to police brutality while in custody. Gautam and his friend Sonu were detained by the police under suspicion of involvement in a robbery. However, eyewitness accounts and preliminary reports indicate that the police were actually targeting gamblers in a public park, and when the real suspects fled, they wrongfully apprehended Gautam and Sonu, who were preparing for Gautam’s daughter’s birthday. CCTV footage confirms their detention, with family members following in distress. Preliminary investigations reveal that Gautam was tortured by the police to force a confession for a nearby bank robbery. Under immense pressure from higher authorities to quickly resolve the case, the officers chose to falsely implicate Gautam, resorting to unethical and excessive force. The case highlights systemic issues within law enforcement, where officers are often subjected to long working hours, understaffing, and intense political pressure to deliver swift results. These harsh conditions can impair judgment and lead to unethical actions, such as framing innocent individuals. In their desperation to meet their targets, the police officers involved prioritized closing the case over justice, violating basic ethical standards. (20 M)
• How does the use of torture to extract confessions, as in Gautam’s case, violate ethical principles? How could a higher degree of emotional intelligence among the police officers help prevent similar unethical treatment in the future? What structural and procedural reforms can be implemented to alleviate the excessive pressure on police officers and prevent the misuse of authority?
• How does the use of torture to extract confessions, as in Gautam’s case, violate ethical principles?
• How could a higher degree of emotional intelligence among the police officers help prevent similar unethical treatment in the future?
• What structural and procedural reforms can be implemented to alleviate the excessive pressure on police officers and prevent the misuse of authority?
Difficulty Level: Medium
Why the question: The case study presents an ethical dilemma involving custodial torture, institutional pressures, and systemic issues in policing, which tests the application of ethical theories, emotional intelligence, and governance reforms. Key Demand of the question: Evaluate how the use of torture violates ethical principles. Explain the role of emotional intelligence in preventing such unethical actions. Recommend systemic reforms to mitigate institutional pressures and misuse of authority. Structure of the Answer: Introduction: Briefly explain the ethical conflict between ends and means in custodial torture, using deontological ethics and the rule of law as a framework. Body: Explain how torture violates human dignity, justice, legal ethics, and professional conduct. Discuss how emotional intelligence can help officers regulate impulses, show empathy, make better decisions, and maintain integrity. Suggest structural reforms like better staffing, independent oversight, mandatory EI training, and surveillance protocols for transparency. Conclusion: Reinforce the need for ethical policing rooted in emotional intelligence, institutional reform, and a justice-oriented system to restore public trust.
Why the question: The case study presents an ethical dilemma involving custodial torture, institutional pressures, and systemic issues in policing, which tests the application of ethical theories, emotional intelligence, and governance reforms.
Key Demand of the question: Evaluate how the use of torture violates ethical principles. Explain the role of emotional intelligence in preventing such unethical actions. Recommend systemic reforms to mitigate institutional pressures and misuse of authority.
Structure of the Answer:
Introduction: Briefly explain the ethical conflict between ends and means in custodial torture, using deontological ethics and the rule of law as a framework.
• Explain how torture violates human dignity, justice, legal ethics, and professional conduct.
• Discuss how emotional intelligence can help officers regulate impulses, show empathy, make better decisions, and maintain integrity.
• Suggest structural reforms like better staffing, independent oversight, mandatory EI training, and surveillance protocols for transparency.
Conclusion: Reinforce the need for ethical policing rooted in emotional intelligence, institutional reform, and a justice-oriented system to restore public trust.