QUOTE: “The end may be noble, but the means must also be just.” Discuss the ethical significance of this statement with examples from public life.
ANS.
“Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.”— Potter Stewart
Means and ends pose one of the greatest ethical dilemmas in public life. There are two philosophies-utilitarian and Kantian which provide the logic of why action should be end-oriented or means-oriented.
Nobel Ends but means compromised: There can be several situation in which because of noble end, means are compromised.
-
- Jeremy Bentham supports actions that result in the “greatest happiness for the greatest number.”
- Example: Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings (1945): The US dropped atomic bombs to force Japan’s surrender, ending WWII.
- Example: Bulldozer action, encounter policy, internet ban, etc all may have right causes but often means are compromised. Bulldozer action “lawless” and “ruthless” SC in 2025.
Means based: Immanuel Kant asserts “Act only on that maxim which you can will to be a universal law.”
Example: IRS Officer Shreelekha Mukherjee’s Stand Against Political Pressure-refused to favour influential individuals in tax proceedings despite pressure.
Example: Lal Bahadur Shastri’s resignation as Railway Minister after a train accident.
Although they can be relevant in their own context, but there cannot be separation between both. “As the means, so the end. There is no wall between the two.” – Mahatma Gandhi.
In public life, a public servant is not only concern about outcome of the action but also the rightness of the action. Action must not only be lawful but also just. Public servant is guided by conduct rules as well as conscience.
Suman Nala, IPS: Catalyst for Change – Kodarvi Tribal Rehabilitation
While conversing with her domestic cook, Alka, Suman sensitively asked about her family’s village (‘sasural’). Alka shared that her Kodarvi community had been socially exiled from Mota Pipodara village in Banaskantha since 2014 due to a tribal punitive practice known as ‘Chadotaru’.
Touched by this personal story, Suman initiated an investigation—even as a probationer ASP in Danta division. She opted for reconciliation over enforcement, engaging local panchayats and tribal elders in structured dialogue.
To facilitate their return, Suman marshaled ₹70 lakh, combining government and NGO funds. Thirty homes are underway and community infrastructure is being rebuilt. Today, about 300 displaced Kodarvi tribals have returned with dignity.
Suman could have used force to rehabilitate Kodarvi tribe but she chose a dialogical and compassionate approach to achieve noble end.
Similarly, SC recently(July 2025)in one case, instead of pronouncing legal action against IPS woman who falsely implicated her husband and in-laws, the court went for moral restitution and asked her to publicly apologise.
It is not only deontology which gives emphasis on means of action but also Virtue ethics which advocates doctrine of means.
Conclusion:
It is essential to guide one’s action by both means and ends, even if in some situation, either one has to be given preference. “Means are like seeds, ends like the tree.”-Gandhi.
Spread the Word