The Supreme Court has banned mining in the Aravalli Hills to stop degradation of the forest cover and to maintain ecological balance. However, the stone mining was still prevalent in the border district of the affected State with connivance of certain corrupt forest officials and politicians. Young and dynamic SP who was recently posted in the affected district promised to himself to stop this menace. In one of his surprise checks with his team, he found loaded truck with stone trying to escape the mining area. He tried to stop the truck but the truck driver overrun the police officer, killing him on the spot and thereafter managed to flee. Police filed FIR but no breakthrough was achieved in the case for almost three months. Ashok who was the Investigative Journalist working with leading TV channel, suo moto started investigating the case. Within one month, Ashok got breakthrough by interacting with local people, stone mining mafia and government officials. He prepared his investigative story and presented to the CMD of the TV channel. He exposed in his investigative report the complete nexus of stone mafia working with blessing of corrupt police and civil officials and politicians. The politician who was involved in the mafia was no one else but local MLA who was considered to be very close to the Chief Minister. After going through the investigative report, the CMD advised Ashok to drop the idea of making the story public through electronic media. He informed that the local MLA was not only the relative of the owner of the TV channel but also had unofficially 20 percent share in the channel. The CMD further informed Ashok that his further promotion and hike in pay will be taken care of in addition the soft loan of ₹ 10 lakhs which he has taken from the TV channel for his son’s chronic disease will be suitably adjusted if he hands over the investigative report to him.
(a) What are the options available with Ashok to cope up with the situation? (b) Critically evaluate/examine each of the options identified by Ashok. (c) What are the ethical dilemmas being faced by Ashok? (d) Which of the options, do you think, would be the most appropriate for Ashok to adopt and why? (e) In the above scenario, what type of training would you suggest for police officers posted to such districts where stone mining illegal activities are rampant?
Approach · directive: “what / critically evaluate / which”
What it asks · (a) List Ashok's options; (b) evaluate each; (c) name his ethical dilemmas; (d) choose the best option; (e) suggest training for police officers in districts hit by illegal stone mining.
It asks 5 things — answer each
- (a) List the options available to Ashok to cope with the situation
- (b) Critically evaluate/examine each of the options
- (c) Identify the ethical dilemmas Ashok faces
- (d) Identify the most appropriate option for Ashok and justify it
- (e) Suggest the type of training for police officers posted to districts where illegal stone mining is rampant
Open with · The value conflict: truth versus inducement, as Ashok can expose the nexus behind a police officer's killing or bury it for promotion and loan relief; then the stakeholders and their stakes.
Cover
- Stakeholders: Ashok and his son, the channel's owner, the MLA and mafia, the slain SP's family, local people and the Aravallis.
- (a)/(b) Merits–demerits table: take the benefits, drop the story, publish elsewhere; plus evidence to investigators and the Supreme Court, whose 2002 ban is defied.
- (c) Dilemmas: loyalty v. public duty, family v. integrity, press freedom v. the owner's conflict of interest, safety v. courage.
- (d) Refuse and record the inducement, give the evidence to investigators, support a petition, publish through a vetted outlet; Gandhi: journalism's aim is service.
- (e) Training: law, safe interdiction (the 2022 Nuh DSP killing), technology and money trails, Mission Karmayogi modules; systemic fix: the Prakash Singh reforms.
Close with · Lawful courage in the newsroom and trained, insulated police are how a society honours officers who die enforcing the law.
Add value (verified)
- Nuh, Haryana (19 July 2022, PTI): a DSP investigating illegal stone-mining was killed when a truck he signalled to stop drove into him — the real event the case echoes.DSP who went to stop illegal mining mowed down in Haryana's Nuh — Deccan Herald (PTI), 19 July 2022 (national newspaper report) ↗“A deputy superintendent of police investigating illegal stone-mining was killed Tuesday when a truck he signalled to stop in Haryana’s Nuh district drove into him, officials said.”
- The Supreme Court banned all mining in the Aravalli hills by its order of 29/30 October 2002, as recorded in M.C. Mehta v Union of India (8 May 2009).M.C. Mehta v Union of India & Ors, Supreme Court of India, 8 May 2009 — Indian Kanoon ↗“On 29th/30th October, 2002 this Court prohibited and banned the mining activities in the entire Aravalli hills.”
- Gandhi, on his own journal Indian Opinion: the sole aim of journalism should be service; an uncontrolled pen serves only to destroy.Mahatma Gandhi on journalism (from his own writings) — mkgandhi.org ↗“In the very first month of Indian Opinion , I realized that the sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper press is a great power”
- Prakash Singh v Union of India (Supreme Court, 22 September 2006): commissions converged on a State Security Commission, a minimum fixed tenure for the police chief, separation of investigation from law and order, and a new Police Act.Prakash Singh & Ors v Union of India & Ors, Supreme Court of India, 22 September 2006 — Indian Kanoon ↗“There is convergence of views on the need to have (a) State Security Commission at State level; (b) transparent procedure for the appointment of Police Chief and the desirability of giving him a minimum fixed tenure; (c) separation of investigation work from law and order; and (d) a new Police Act”
- Mission Karmayogi (2020) calibrates civil service positions to a Framework of Roles, Activities and Competencies (FRACs) and builds learning content for each.Cabinet approves Mission Karmayogi, the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building — PIB, 2 September 2020 ↗“To calibrate all Civil Service positions to a Framework of Roles, Activities and Competencies (FRACs) approach and to create and deliver learningcontent relevant to the identified FRACs in every Government entity”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 372words · Minimalist IAS
Truth versus inducement: Ashok can expose the nexus behind a police officer's killing, or bury it for promotion and relief on his son's medical loan.
Stakeholders: Ashok and his son (job, treatment); the channel's owner (profit, a conflict of interest); the MLA and mafia (exposure); the slain SP's family (justice); local people and the Aravallis (health, ecology).
(a) Options available and (b) their critical evaluation
| Option | Merits | Demerits |
|---|---|---|
| Hand over report, take benefits | Job and treatment secure | Bribe in effect; betrays the slain officer |
| Drop the story quietly | Avoids the bribe | Abandons duty; nexus continues |
| Resign and publish elsewhere | Serves public interest | Defamation, job loss, danger |
- Give evidence to institutions: to investigators and the Supreme Court, which banned all mining in the Aravalli hills in 2002; lawful and durable, but slow and leak-prone.
(c) Ethical dilemmas Ashok faces
- Loyalty v. public duty: the employer's wishes against the public's right to know.
- Family v. integrity: his son's treatment against a bribe in kind; also press freedom v. the owner's conflict of interest, and safety v. courage.
(d) The most appropriate option, and why
- At once: refuse and record the inducement, secure copies of the evidence, and hand them to the investigators.
- Then: support a petition before the Supreme Court whose ban is being defied, publish through an independent, legally vetted outlet, and refinance the loan elsewhere.
- Why: Gandhi held that "the sole aim of journalism should be service"; the public's right to know and a slain officer's claim to justice outweigh private gain.
(e) Training for police in illegal-mining districts
- Law: mining and forest laws, the Aravalli orders, seizure and arrest powers.
- Safe interdiction: in July 2022 a DSP investigating illegal stone-mining in Haryana's Nuh was killed by a truck he signalled to stop; so teams, barriers and body cameras, never a lone officer.
- Technology and money trails: drone and satellite mapping, GPS tracking of trucks, joint probes with mining and revenue officials.
- Integrity under pressure: role-based modules under Mission Karmayogi's competency framework (FRACs).
- Systemic fix: the Prakash Singh (2006) reforms, a State Security Commission and fixed tenure, shield officers from political interference.
Lawful courage in the newsroom and trained, insulated police are how a society honours officers who die enforcing the law.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 1 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
