A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO discovers that the information pertains to some decisions taken by him which were found to be not altogether right, and other employees were also party to these decisions. Disclosure is likely to lead to disciplinary action and possible punishment against him and colleagues; non-disclosure, partial disclosure or camouflaged disclosure could reduce that risk. The PIO is otherwise honest and conscientious and seeks your advice. Evaluate the merits and demerits of referring the matter to a superior and following that advice; proceeding on leave or transferring the application; tailoring disclosure to protect his career; consulting colleagues who were party to the decision; and indicate what you would advise, with reasons.
What the examiner wants
For the case beginning ‘A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO discovers tha’, resolve the Case Study dilemma by identifying its specific stakeholders and competing duties, comparing feasible options, and choosing a legally defensible, ethically reasoned course with safeguards.
Demand-wise check
- 1From the exact case cue ‘A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO discover’, identify the stakeholders and ethical/legal conflicts specific to this situation≈65 words
- 2For ‘A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO discover’, compare the decision-maker's feasible options, including consequences, rights/duties and implementation risks for each option≈65 words
- 3For ‘A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO discover’, justify a preferred course with due process, transparency/accountability safeguards and concrete follow-up measures≈65 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Where marks usually go
- For the case cue ‘A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO dis’, avoid merely retelling facts without separating its stakeholders, conflicts and decision criteria
- For the case cue ‘A Public Information Officer has received an application under the RTI Act. Having gathered the information, the PIO dis’, do not choose an option without testing legality, feasibility, consequences and accountability safeguards
Value addition
- Stakeholder–dilemma–option matrix with a short decision flow
→ Draw it in the body, next to the point it supports.
Official source anchors
These are authoritative sources selected for this exact PYQ. Where a card is an official-domain anchor rather than a fact-level citation, verify the precise provision, definition or data point on the linked source before using it.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 14 minutes, then get it checked.