GS Paper IV 2025 · Q1 (Section A)
2 parts · 10 marks and 150 words each Ethics & human interface X-Ray · Core #3Q1(a) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own
In the present digital age, social media has revolutionised our way of communication and interaction. However, it has raised several ethical issues and challenges. Describe the key ethical dilemmas in this regard.
Approach · directive: “describe”
What it asks · Describe the main ethical dilemmas of the social-media age: the clashes of values that users, platforms and the State must resolve.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Describe the key ethical dilemmas that social media raises, value against value
- Show how they confront users, platforms and the State
Open with · An ethical dilemma: two sound values compete, so that honouring one sacrifices the other; social media has made every user a publisher and a few platforms the gatekeepers of debate, so users, platforms and the State face such clashes daily.
Cover
- A table sets three values against their rivals: free expression against harm, connectivity against privacy, virality against truth.
- Free speech vs harm: Mill's harm principle; Shreya Singhal (2015) struck down Section 66A, so curbs on speech must be precise.
- Privacy vs connectivity: Puttaswamy (2017) on privacy under Article 21; the DPDP Act, 2023 balancing that right against lawful processing.
- Truth vs virality, anonymity vs accountability, well-being vs engagement, and the private power of unelected platforms over public speech.
Close with · Precise laws, transparent algorithms and digital literacy to ease these tensions, in the spirit of Tagore's prayer for a country where words come out from the depth of truth, not broken into fragments by narrow domestic walls.
Add value (verified)
- Mill's harm principle (On Liberty, 1859), as quoted by the Supreme Court in Puttaswamy (2017): power may be used against an individual's will only to prevent harm to others.Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, judgment of 24 August 2017 — Supreme Court of India ↗“thesis “On Liberty”, John Stuart Mill, as far back as in 1859, had this to say: “…. the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self- protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”
- The Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of the IT Act in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (order of 24 March 2015).Information Technology Act, 2000 (updated), footnote to Section 66A — India Code ↗“Section 66A has been struck down by Supreme Court’s Order dated 24th March, 2015 in the Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India, AIR 2015 SC. 1523.”
- Puttaswamy (2017): privacy is an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21.Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India, judgment of 24 August 2017 — Supreme Court of India ↗“(iii) The right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 and as a part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III of the Constitution.”
- The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 states the privacy dilemma in its own long title — individual rights versus lawful processing of data.The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (No. 22 of 2023), MeitY ↗“An Act to provide for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes”
- Tagore, Gitanjali (1912), poem 35: a prayer for a country where knowledge is free, where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls, and where words come out from the depth of truth.Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali (1912), poem 35 — Project Gutenberg ↗“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth;”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 222words · Minimalist IAS
An ethical dilemma arises when two sound values compete and honouring one sacrifices the other. Social media has made every user a publisher and a few platforms the gatekeepers of debate, so users, platforms and the State face such clashes daily.
| Value | Collides with | Seen in |
|---|---|---|
| Free expression | Protection from harm | Hate speech, trolling |
| Connectivity | Privacy | Profiling, data harvesting |
|---|---|---|
| Virality | Truth | Deepfakes, misinformation |
- Free speech vs harm: Mill's harm principle permits power over an individual only to prevent harm to others, but who judges harm (platform, State or user) is contested. Shreya Singhal (2015) struck down Section 66A of the IT Act: curbs on speech must be precise.
- Privacy vs connectivity: free services are paid for with data, on consent rarely informed. Puttaswamy (2017) made privacy intrinsic to Article 21; the DPDP Act, 2023 balances it against lawful processing.
- Truth vs virality: engagement-driven algorithms reward outrage over accuracy; deepfakes outrun corrections.
- Anonymity vs accountability: it shields dissent, but also trolls and impersonators.
- Well-being vs engagement: addictive design and cyber-bullying hurt adolescents most.
- Private power vs answerability: unelected platforms moderate public speech by opaque rules.
Precise laws, transparent algorithms and digital literacy can ease these tensions, in the spirit of Tagore's prayer for a country 'Where words come out from the depth of truth', not 'broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls'.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
Q1(b) 10 marks · 150 words · answered on its own
“Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment but a product of civil education and adherance of the rule of law.” Examine the significance of constitutional morality for public servant highlighting the role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration.
Approach · directive: “examine (highlighting)”
What it asks · Examine why constitutional morality matters to a public servant, bringing out its role in good governance and in accountability.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Explain constitutional morality and why it must be cultivated
- Examine its significance for the public servant
- Highlight its role in promoting good governance and ensuring accountability in public administration
Open with · Grote's definition, adopted by Ambedkar in 1948: a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution, joined to open speech and censure of authority; Ambedkar's warning that it is not a natural sentiment and has to be cultivated.
Cover
- Significance: a compass where rules are silent, guided by the Preamble's justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
- A service duty: the AIS (Conduct) Rules bind members to uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values.
- Ambedkar wrote forms of administration into the Constitution because a diffusion of constitutional morality could not be presumed; officers must supply it.
- Good governance: Manoj Narula (2014), constitutional morality as bowing to constitutional norms, a laser beam in institution building.
- Accountability: Grote's unrestrained censure of authority, today reasons on file, RTI, audit, courts and lawful refusal of unlawful orders.
Close with · Ambedkar's warning of 25 November 1949: however good a Constitution may be, it turns out bad if those who work it happen to be a bad lot; public servants decide which it becomes.
Add value (verified)
- Ambedkar, moving the Draft Constitution on 4 November 1948, quoted the historian Grote: constitutional morality is 'a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution' joined to open speech and censure of authority.Constituent Assembly Debates, Vol. VII, 4 November 1948 (Dr B.R. Ambedkar) — sansad.in ↗“By constitutional morality Grote meant "a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution, enforcing obedience to authority acting under and within these forms yet combined with the habit of open speech, of action subject only to definite legal control, and unrestrained censure of those very authorities as to all their public acts”
- All India Services (Conduct) Rules, Rule 3(2B): every member shall commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values.All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, Rule 3(2B) — Tripura High Court (thc.nic.in) ↗“(i) commit himself to and uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values; (ii) defend and uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of State, public order, decency and morality; (iii) maintain integrity in public service;”
- Ambedkar (4 November 1948): administrative detail could be left out of a Constitution only where people are saturated with constitutional morality; its diffusion could not be presumed, for it is not a natural sentiment and has to be cultivated.Constituent Assembly Debates, Vol. VII, 4 November 1948 (Dr B.R. Ambedkar) — sansad.in ↗“that one can take the risk of omitting from the Constitution details of administration and leaving it for the Legislature to prescribe them. The question is, can we presume such a diffusion of Constitutional morality? Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated.”
- Manoj Narula v. Union of India (Supreme Court, 27 August 2014): constitutional morality means bowing to the norms of the Constitution and not acting against the rule of law or arbitrarily; it guides institution building like a laser beam.Manoj Narula vs Union of India, Supreme Court, 27 August 2014 — Indian Kanoon ↗“The principle of constitutional morality basically means to bow down to the norms of the Constitution and not to act in a manner which would become violative of the rule of law or reflectible of action in an arbitrary manner. It actually works at the fulcrum and guides as a laser beam in institution building.”
- Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly (25 November 1949): however good a Constitution may be, it turns out bad if those called to work it are a bad lot, and however bad, it may turn out good if they are a good lot.Constituent Assembly Debates, 25 November 1949 (Dr B.R. Ambedkar) — constitutionofindia.net ↗“Because I feel, however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it, happen to be a bad lot. However bad a Constitution may be, it may turn out to be good if those who are called to work it, happen to be a good lot.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2025, GS Paper IV — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 221words · Minimalist IAS
Constitutional morality, in Grote's words adopted by Ambedkar in 1948, is 'a paramount reverence for the forms of the Constitution', joined to open speech and censure of authority. Ambedkar warned that it 'is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated'.
Significance for the public servant
- Compass where rules are silent: discretion follows the Preamble's justice, liberty, equality and fraternity, not personal, partisan or majority preference.
- A service duty: the AIS (Conduct) Rules bind every member to 'uphold the supremacy of the Constitution and democratic values'.
- Filling the gaps: Ambedkar justified writing forms of administration into the Constitution because one could not presume 'such a diffusion of Constitutional morality'; officers must now supply it.
Role in good governance and accountability
- Good governance: for the Supreme Court in Manoj Narula (2014), it means bowing to constitutional norms and never acting arbitrarily; it 'guides as a laser beam in institution building', keeping decisions reasoned and impartial.
- Accountability: Grote's 'unrestrained censure' of authorities for 'all their public acts' means reasons on file, respect for RTI, audit and the courts, and unlawful orders refused through lawful channels.
On 25 November 1949 Ambedkar warned that 'however good a Constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad' if those who work it 'happen to be a bad lot': public servants decide which it becomes.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
