With reference to the ethical concept of "fiduciary duty" as illustrated by a recent case involving a former public health official accused of running a female foeticide racket, consider the following statements: 1. Fiduciary duty rests on the idea that the state and public extend trust to an official precisely because verifying every individual action would be impossible. 2. In the case, oversight of the official's conduct was found to be weakest at the point of entry into public office, not afterward. 3. Gandhian trusteeship frames the holding of power or access as a moral obligation exercised for the vulnerable, not as an entitlement without accountability. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Ethics · 12 Aug 2026

fiduciary duty public office ethics

With reference to the ethical concept of "fiduciary duty" as illustrated by a recent case involving a former public health official accused of running a female foeticide racket, consider the following statements:

Fiduciary duty rests on the idea that the state and public extend trust to an official precisely because verifying every individual action would be impossible.
In the case, oversight of the official's conduct was found to be weakest at the point of entry into public office, not afterward.
Gandhian trusteeship frames the holding of power or access as a moral obligation exercised for the vulnerable, not as an entitlement without accountability.

A1 and 2 only

B2 and 3 only

C1 and 3 only

D1, 2 and 3

This question is based on: The Man Who Once Ran "Save the Girls" Is Now Accused of Ending Them

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About this question

Why in news

A former Kolhapur civil surgeon who once led Maharashtra's "Save the Girls" campaign was arrested for allegedly orchestrating a female foeticide ring, prompting scrutiny of how institutional trust can become cover for the harm it was meant to prevent.

Why for UPSC

GS4 rewards precise location of ethical failure within a case rather than a general "trust was violated" reading; this checks whether aspirants can identify exactly where oversight broke down.

Prelims summary

Fiduciary duty relies on trust that cannot be constantly verified. In this case, oversight failure occurred post-vetting and especially post-retirement, not at entry - illustrating Gandhian trusteeship's conditional view of power as held for the vulnerable.

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